An Analysis On The Chinese Four-character Construction "X Qian X Hou"

The current thesis aims to develop the research content of"qian"and"hou"and expand the research angles on this pair of localizer through the four- character construction of modern Chinese"x qian x hou"("qian"and"hou"refer to the time succession or the special position). Integrating the previous studies, the paper does an overall research on it from various perspectives.Few researches are made on the form of"x qian x hou"which has its particular characteristics, however the form is worth researching. The form of"x qian x hou"has its features in the aspects of syntax, semantics and pragmatics. The paper explores the characteristics of the form in the three aspects.The thesis intends to do the research from three perspectives. From the perspective of cognitive grammar, the paper describes and explains the form of"x qian x hou"in detail, pays attention to classify them and studies and summarizes them respectively. In the meanwhile, the paper also analyzes the meaning of the form of"x qian x hou"at length. The paper tries to discover the features of different types through analyzing the different meanings of the form of"x qian x hou"and using the related theories of cognitive linguistics for reference. At last, the research attempts to give some supplement to the research on the form of"x qian x hou"and the use of"qian"and"hou"in modern Chinese.The focus of the thesis is mainly in chapter three, four and five. The form of"x qian x hou"is divided into three kinds, they are"n qian n hou"("n"refers to noun),"v qian v hou"("v"refers to verb) and the third kind of"x qian x hou". The paper analyzes the three kinds of forms from the perspective of grammar, semantics and pragmatics. The analysis follows the three aspects and the four principles of language. The three aspects of language refer to grammar, semantics and pragmatics and the four principles of language refer to the integration of form and meaning; the integration of dynamic and static; the integration of synchronic and diachronic; and the integration of explanation and description. The paper also tries to describe and explain the different usage of"x qian x hou"from various perspectives in detail.