A Study Of Prototype Effects Of Fu Bi Xing In Classical Chinese Poetry From The Perspective Of Cognitive Poetics

Chinese traditional culture is a treasury full of extensive knowledge and profound wisdom with a long history. In this treasury, the beautiful and elegant classical Chinese poetry as a whole is a shining pearl. Reading and appreciating classical Chinese poetry is a kind of spiritual enjoyment. The reason why classical Chinese poetry can bring us great aesthetic enjoyment should be, to a large degree, attributed to the ancient poets’skillful use of the three expressing techniques-Fu, Bi and Xing. There have been many researches into Fu, Bi and Xing since the concerned concepts were put forward. Yet totally identical views on their meaning and usages haven’t been formed. It seems that by now there hasn’t been a theory used to explain or summarize the features of each of the three expressing techniques.As an important theory in cognitive linguistics, the Prototype Theory can be employed to well generalize the features of Fu, Bi and Xing. This thesis is a try in this aspect. The Prototype Theory is about categories and categorization and has great explanatory power to various phenomena. It can be used to explain not only natural phenomena, but also social phenomena, including many phenomena in language. We can categorize our outside world with language, and we can also study language with the Prototype Theory. Fu, Bi and Xing are phenomena in ancient Chinese language. Under the perspective of the Prototype Theory, Fu, Bi and Xing can be seen as three distinctive language categories and they have their own prototype effects. Through finding the prototypes of the three categories, the typical characteristics of the expressing techniques of Fu, Bi and Xing can be generalized. Then Fu, Bi and Xing can be understood more clearly and easily.This thesis consists of six chapters. As the introduction, Chapter One briefly introduces the research background, purposes and significance of the study and the organization of the thesis. Chapter Two gives a general review of the Prototype Theory and the researches on the expressing techniques Fu, Bi and Xing used in classical Chinese poetry. The following three chapters study the prototype effects of Fu, Bi and Xing respectively from the perspective of cognitive poetics. Chapter Six is the conclusion of the thesis.Fu, Bi and Xing are cultural fortunes bequeathed to us by our ancestors. As heirs of ethnic cultural heritage, we should learn them seriously and study them further. Through studying the prototype effects of Fu, Bi and Xing embodied in classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of cognitive poetics, we can better understand and appreciate classical Chinese poetry.