現代漢語死亡類成語隱喻意象及文化意蘊

Abstract

成語結構固定、語言凝練，在四字間承載歷代的思想與當代的文化，是華語獨特的語言形式；其中死亡類成語運用豐富的隱喻，以委婉的方式表達死亡禁忌，反映了華人文化中觀照死亡的態度。本研究聚焦於死亡類成語，藉由分析隱喻意象，探究深藏其中的文化意蘊。 本研究選取579筆具隱喻意涵和委婉語義的死亡類成語，首先依據使用對象的性別、年齡、身分、個人特質以及成語中的隱喻意象、語義色彩分為六類，歸納出各類較顯著的特徵，再逐一分析之。 研究結果顯示，死亡類成語取用的隱喻意象與文化緊密交織：成語中的隱喻映射機制展現了華人寄情於物的思維方式和語言特色，成語中的思想觀念呈現了儒家的主宰性，而對於肉身或精神突破時間限制的追求，則指向了華人生死觀「不朽」的核心價值。

With its fixed structure and concise expression, Chinese quadricsyllabic idioms have sustained continuity of thought throughout the ages and comtemporary culture in a four-character phrase. It is a unique language form in Mandarin Chinese. Among all Chinese idioms, death-related idioms refer to various types of metaphors to express the taboo of death in an euphemistic way, reflecting the aspects of observing death in Chinese culture. By analyzing the metaphorical images, this thesis aims to explore the underlying cultural implications of death-related idioms. A total of 579 death-related idioms that contain metaphorical and euphemistic meanings were manually selected among three corpora containing 70348 idioms. These idioms were divided into six categories according to gender, age, identity, personal characteristics of the deceased. Metaphors conveyed by these idioms and specific language features related to these idioms were analyzed in depth. The results indicated that the metaphors used in death-related idioms were strongly intertwined with culture. The metaphorical mapping mechanisms represent the tendency of projecting thoughts onto objects specific to Chinese culture, such as jade, orchid, cranes, etc. Meanwhile, the dominance of Confucianism was likewise displayed. The pursuit of corporeal or spiritual existence beyond the material world echoed the core value of 'immortality' in the Chinese concept of life and death.