A Study On Conceptual Metonymy In Chinese Idioms With Raiment-from The Perspective Of Conceptual Integration Theory

As a unique language form,Chinese idioms reflect the lifestyles,aesthetic tastes,cultural psyche,political structures and religious concepts of Chinese nation.Chinese idioms are characterized with conciseness which requires the balance between the principle of information maximization and the principle of effort minimization.Conceptual metonymy plays an important role in this process,for people can choose a salient or important part to stand for the whole or other part of the whole,or get access to a certain part via the whole.However,few scholars have committed themselves to the construction of conceptual metonymy in Chinese idioms,let alone Chinese idioms with raiment which are closely related to people's life.With the development of cognitive linguistics,conceptual integration theory has attracted much attention.Conceptual integration theory aims to explain the cognitive process of human thinking by establishing and operating mental spaces,which helps people deepen their understanding of meaning construction.This study attempts to,on the basis of conceptual integration theor,put forward a new metonymic integration network to make an analysis of the construction of conceptual metonymy in Chinese idioms with raiment,hoping to provide answers to the following three questions:First,is conceptual integration theory applicable for explaining the construction of metonymy in Chinese idioms with raiment?Second,if the answer is yes,how conceptual metonymy is constructed in Chinese idioms with raiment in light of conceptual integration theory?Third,what are the main factors affecting the construction of metonymy in Chinese idioms with raiment?The linguistic data for this study are selected from ZHONG GUO CHENG YU DA CI DIAN(Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House,1987)and HAN YU CHENG YU AD CI DIAN(Sinolingua,2017).The study obtains three major findings.Firstly,as a general model of meaning construction,conceptual integration theory can serve as a new perspective in metonymy analysis.However,this theory is too wide to explain the working mechanism of conceptual metonymy specifically and sufficiently.The metonymic integration network proposed in the thesis could solve this problem to some degree.Secondly,the construction of conceptual metonymy in Chinese idioms with raiment is based on two input spaces:framing input offers abstract metonymy-producing relationship,while focus input supplies the literal meaning of Chinese idioms.In the blend,through composition,completion and elaboration,the metonymic relation between the literal meaning and the figurative meaning of a Chinese idiom emerges.Thirdly,while running the blend,material conditions,perceptual selectivity,cultural preference and institutions are main factors influencing the choice of vehicles and targets in metonymies.This study is both theoretically and practically significant.Theoretically,by building metonymic integration network,this study specifies the reasonability of employing conceptual integration theory to explain conceptual metonymy.Practically,it offers some implications for insightful learning rather than rote learning in a foreign language teaching context,because language learners may find it easier to master Chinese idioms once they understand their working mechanism.