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In:New Vistas in Research on Metaphor and Metonymy: Their contexts and interaction across discourse types and modalities
Edited by Robert Kiełtyka, Mario Brdar, Marcin Kudła and Goran Milić
[Human Cognitive Processing 82] 2027
► pp. 122–142

Chapter 4
The flavorful language

Food metaphors in Chinese culture

 | Southwest University
 | Southwest University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This study examines Chinese food metaphors to reveal their cultural values and cognitive patterns. By analyzing a diverse corpus, this study explores how food metaphors function in emotional expression, social bonding, moral value transmission, identity formation, and cultural symbolism. Expressions like chī cù (吃醋, “eat vinegar”) metaphorically represent jealousy, linking the “sourness” of vinegar with the emotional experience of jealousy. Socially, the phrase chī fàn (吃饭, “eat a meal”) is often used to signify the deepening of friendships and the building of social ties. Metaphorical food naming, such as longan (龙眼, “dragon eye”) not only serves as a descriptive metaphor but also conveys auspicious meanings, reflecting a desire for positive outcomes. This study provides insights into the connection between metaphor, cognition, and cultural understanding.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Food as a cognitive and cultural domain
  • 3.The structural mapping of Chinese food metaphor
    • 3.1life is eating: Sustenance as existential experience
    • 3.2emotions are flavors: Embodied affective cognition
    • 3.3social relations are shared meals: Communal eating as a bonding ritual
    • 3.4morality is dietary discipline: Ethical purity as culinary hygiene
  • 4.The correspondence between food metaphor and the domains
    • 4.1food metaphor in emotional expression
    • 4.2food metaphor social relationship construction
    • 4.3food metaphor moral value transmission
    • 4.4food metaphor identify formation
    • 4.5food metaphor cultural symbolism
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • References
References (22)
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