A CBT Based Study On The Imageries Of "梅"(méi) In The Song Poems

In the 1990 s,Fauconnier put forward the theory of Conceptual Blending based on his Mental Space Theory.The most important part is the Conceptual Blending Network.A complete network includes four spaces.The understanding of a certain concept is achieved by the emergent structure,which is produced by interaction of the four spaces and three mental cognitive activities.梅(méi),兰(lán),竹(zhú),菊(jú)have been called ‘Four Gentlemen’ among flowers since Ming Dynasty.They are imageries that poets usually apply in their poems,so as to express their emotions.In order to explore what kind of imageries that “梅”(méi)creates in the poems,and how poets express their emotions in virtue of the imageries,this present research is conducted on the imageries of “梅”(méi)on the basis of Conceptual Blending Theory1.And also it aims at interpreting how the deep meanings of poetic texts are conveyed via the imageries of “梅”(méi).Since Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty,poets express their inner emotions by employing“梅”(méi)in their poems.They pursue the inner spirits of this plant,and entrust various spiritual meanings to it.The research is to analyze the poems,in which “梅”(méi)is the main focus.The author explores the following issues:(1)What imageries does“梅”(méi)create?(2)How are the imageries of “梅”(méi)created according to Conceptual Blending Theory?(3)Through analyzing the imageries of “梅”(méi),what deep meanings do poets intend to convey in the poems?By making an analysis on the imageries of“梅”,the process of meaning construction of the imageries,based on Conceptual Blending Theory,is presented as follows:(1)Among the framework of Conceptual Blending Theory,the information in the lines comes into two input spaces,in which the abstract structures and the common abstract information are mapped into generic space.Under the joint action of two input spaces and a generic space,elements in the inputs are projected onto the blend.(2)Through the operation of four mental spaces and three mental cognitive activities,the emergent structure is generated,which is the imageries established by “梅”(méi).Then,emergent meanings are gained through elaboration,which are the deep meanings of the poems.(3)By imagery analysis,the poems in this present research convey the inner spirit of “梅”(méi)that poets pursue.It raises the limited spiritual characteristics to the infinite eternal pursuit.Based on this cognitive theory,the present research is conducted on the imageries of“梅”(méi).At the same time,meanings of the poems that constructed by imageries of“梅”(méi)are explicitly interpreted.The research shows CBT is applicable to the analysis of poetic imageries,and can help readers have a deeper understanding of poems and also the covert message that poets aim to convey.