A Study On Conceptual Metaphors In Life And Death Are Wearing Me Out

Metaphor is pervasive in everyday life.Metaphors are grounded in our body experience.Metaphors are grounded in different cultures,which have the features of universalities and individualities.The universality makes the metaphors coincide while the individuality gives the metaphor nationality.Mo Yan's Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out is rooted in the soil of Chinese history,which is experiential cognition of the nation.The metaphors used in the novel reflect the specific historical period of social and cultural characteristics.Based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory,the study chooses Mo Yan's Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out as a research text,analyzes the conceptual metaphors closely related to the theme in the novel.Through the analysis of conceptual metaphors in the novel,the construction of metaphor is understood.The study finds the following six kinds of metaphors in Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out:"animal metaphor","object metaphor","light metaphor","container metaphor","color metaphor",and "food metaphor".The animal metaphor includes "PEOPLE ARE DOGS","PEOPLE ARE DONKEYS","PEOPLE ARE PIGS","PEOPLE ARE TURTLES".The object metaphor includes "PEOPLE ARE ROCKS","PEOPLE ARE FIELD",and "PEOPLE ARE PEARL".The light metaphor includes "BEBEFIT IS LIGHT","JOY IS LIGHT" and,GLORY IS LIGHT".The container metaphor contains "ANGER IS FIRE IN A CONTAINER" and "LOVE IS FLUID OR FIRE IN A CONTAINER".The color metaphor includes "EVILNESS IS BLACK","CAPITALIST IS BLACK" and "SOCIALIST IS RED".The food metaphor includes"SUFFERING IS FOOD","JEALOUSY IS VINEGAR",and "LIVELIHOOD IS FOOD".In addition,the author finds that different kinds of metaphors are of great significance to the construction of the themes of the novel.The protagnist in the novel has been reborn as five kinds of animals.Therefore,animal metaphors run throughout the theme of reincarnation in the novel.And the fatigue of life and death of each reincarnation is expressed by means of animal metaphors.Object metaphors,light metaphors,food metaphors and colour metaphors are full of the features of regional cultural colour and reflect the special historical background of China.The container metaphors vividly reflect the emotional experiences of the characters in the novel.