Conceptual Metaphors In Discourses Of China’s Ecological Civilization

The study on conceptual metaphors in discourses of China’s ecological civilization is of great significance for deepening the comprehension of the relation among metaphor,language and cognition.This thesis aims to explore that the similarities and differences of metaphor systems of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily and China Daily indicate what core values of China’s ecological civilization are constructed by metaphors and analyze what different emphases on values are promoted inside and outside China,attempting to answer the following three questions:(1)What are the conceptual metaphors of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily and China Daily?(2)What are the similarities and differences of metaphor systems of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily and China Daily?(3)Through a comparison of metaphor systems,what core values of China’s ecological civilization are constructed by metaphors? What are the different emphases on values promoted inside and outside China?It’s found that conceptual metaphors of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily include COLOR metaphor,BUILDING metaphor,WAR metaphor,personification,DISEASE metaphor,PATH metaphor and FINANCE metaphor;in China Daily there are COLOR metaphor,BUILDING metaphor,WAR metaphor,personification,PATH metaphor,and FINANCE metaphor.The metaphor systems of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily and China Daily are similar:FINANCE metaphor,COLOR(GREEN)metaphor/BUILDING metaphor,WAR metaphor,and personification explain the core values of China’s ecological civilization like financial value,ecological civilization construction,ecological governance and the concept of a community of life;PATH metaphor explains China’s ecological civilization is a road from environmental protection to economic development and finally to improve people’s livelihoods;COLOR metaphors and BUILDING metaphors are all high-frequency metaphors.The metaphor systems of China’s ecological civilization in People’s Daily and China Daily are also different:COLOR(RED)metaphors and DISEASE metaphors in People’s Daily are unique,showing ecological red lines are untouchable and that the roots of ecological problems should be grasped and solved in ecological governance respectively;FINANCE metaphors have a much higher proportion in People’s Daily while personifications have a much higher proportion in China Daily.FINANCE metaphor,COLOR(GREEN)metaphor/BUILDING metaphor,WAR metaphor,and personification construct the core values of China’s ecological civilization like financial value,ecological civilization construction,ecological governance and a community of life,and the promotion of them have different emphases inside and outside China: the higher proportion of personifications in China Daily indicates the promotion of a community of life is more prominent outside China;the higher proportion of FINANCE metaphors in People’s Daily shows the promotion of financial value of eco-environment is more prominent inside China and it’s promoted that people should pay attention to environmental protection when developing economy.The study on conceptual metaphors in discourses of China’s ecological civilization is conducive to the understanding and recognition of China’s ecological civilization for people,promoting ecological civilization construction and global ecological governance.