Representation of Sources of the Conceptual Metaphor of 'Love' in Chinese and Russian Fiction Texts of the Postmodern Era (a comparative aspect)

Semenova Liubov ORCID: 0000-0003-3296-0156 Senior Lecturer of Chinese Language Department, Moscow City University 129 226, Russia, Moscow, 2nd Selskohozyaistvennii proezd, 4k1 semenovala@mgpu.ru Other publications by this author

In modern comparative linguistics, the comparison of languages in the cognitive aspect remains a constantly relevant topic of research ^{[1; 2; 3; 4]}. Metaphor is constantly the object of research by modern linguists ^{[5; 6; 7; 8]}.There are several approaches in linguistics to defining a cognitive metaphor. In this regard, analyzing a number of studies by cognitive scientists, we can trace the general trend that, at its core, the definition of a cognitive metaphor goes back to the definition of a linguistic metaphor, that is, conveys the figurative meaning of an object. Among the differences in research, it is possible to identify approaches to definition that highlight the following connections: cognitive metaphor and human thinking; cognitive metaphor and mechanisms of cognition; cognitive metaphor and conceptualization of the surrounding world; cognitive metaphor as a means of nomination, as a way of creating a linguistic picture of the world.We choose an approach that connects metaphor and human thinking. This was mentioned in the work of J. Lakoff, M. Johnson, who made an undoubted contribution to the definition of cognitive metaphor and the development of theory about it. Their work notes that metaphor belongs not only to language, but also to thinking in general, since all processes of human thinking are metaphorical to some extent. It follows from this that metaphor in language is the result of metaphorical human thinking. American researchers distinguished in each metaphor the source area (the sphere from which the metaphor came) and the target area or, as it is also called in modern linguistics, the target area (the sphere on which the metaphor is oriented) ^[5]. Thanks to metaphor, as well as through comparison, it is possible to expand the boundaries of the world by finding a common feature in distant entities, which is a comparative constant ^[8]. A metaphor is able to give an instant and succinct idea of an object, which allows the speaker to avoid lengthy explanations and circumvent the signification. The metaphor is a kind of riddle, when the connection between the denotations is intuitively traced, this connection is not voiced, the addressee has to think it out. Thus, metaphor is a universal means of transition from everyday regulation to cognition and higher ^[7].

L. V. Kalashnikova also points out the relationship between cognitive metaphor and thinking in her work.She defines metaphorization as a dynamic process that brings knowledge about the world into a dynamic state; associative representation creates the basis for the cognitive function of metaphor. A metaphor determines the way and style of thinking about it, not only forming an idea of an object. It is worth noting that in cognitive semantics, a metaphor is interpreted as the transfer of a cognitive structure prototypically associated with a certain linguistic expression from the content area to which it originally belongs to another area ^[6].

In this article, we will pay attention to the representation of the conceptual metaphor "love" in Chinese and Russian literature of the postmodern era ^{[9; 10]}. A comparative analysis of the examples of two unrelated languages can make it possible to find universal layers of cultural memory common to different peoples ^[11]. Cultural information is embedded in a linguistic unit, and we can get the same information about culture from the combination of words, including from phrases that form conceptual metaphors.

Such modern Chinese authors as Mo Yan and Liu Qixin were chosen as sources, and among the modern Russian prose of postmodernism are the works of V. O. Pelevin and V. G. Sorokin. Modern fiction, on the one hand, makes it possible to trace the features of modern language, while at the same time allowing us to explore the field of feelings and emotions from the standpoint of linguistics, which is impossible, for example, in scientific discourse. Postmodernism in China began its development later than in Russia, but now it already occupies a leading position in literature. Modern Chinese literature has been quite strongly influenced by European literature, namely modernist and postmodern, but Chinese writers undoubtedly brought the originality of their culture to this genre. V. O. Pelevin's work is especially interesting because it refers to the so-called Eastern postmodernism, which was formed in the literature of China and Russia in the second half of the 1990s ^[10].

First, let's look at examples of the representation of the cognitive metaphor "love" in Chinese texts. In them, love is associated with fire.

智子再次发表讲话，声称三体世界之所以改变对人类文明的灭绝政策，完全是出于对地球文化的热爱和敬意 [刘慈欣，死神永生，[Tomoko spoke again and explained that Trisolaris refused to exterminate earthlings out of [fervent] love and respect for Earth civilization [Liu Qixin, Eternal Life of Death, Electronic resource]).

In this example, love appears to be as hot and hot (热爱) as fire.

Let's analyze other examples.

杨卫宁很有才华，风度和修养俱佳，不是一个让她讨厌的人，但她自己已心如死灰，很难再燃起爱情的火焰了 [刘慈欣，三体，Electronic resource]- (Jan was a talented, cultured man with good taste. Ye did not find it unpleasant, but her heart was like ashes, in which the flame of love could no longer flare up [Liu Qixin, The Task of three Bodies, Electronic resource]).

In the second example, love is compared to fire, namely, with the method of obtaining it – the fire of love (爱情的)) can be lit (燃起) in the same way as an ordinary fire.

那时候青蛙们就开始恋爱了，在漫长的冬眠里消耗得又黑又瘦的它们被爱的烈火燃烧得上蹿下跳 [莫言，红高粱家族Электронный resource]。– (Toads began to mate during the long winter hibernation, they darkened and lost weight, but now jumped covered in a bright flame of passion [Mo Yan, Red sorghum, E-resource]).

In the third example, the cognitive metaphor "love" gives a comparison of this feeling with fire, which is mobile and can encompass objects of the surrounding world.

In addition to fire in Chinese texts, the cognitive metaphor "love" can convey a person's feeling correlated with light.

有经验的女人都知道这是爱情的光芒。屠小英没有经验 [莫言，十三步，Electronic resource]- (All experienced women knew that this is the radiance of love. Tu Xiaoying had no experience – translated by the author).

In this case, the cognitive metaphor of love is correlated with radiance, light.

The source of the cognitive metaphor of "love" in postmodern texts in China may be a disease.

“我疯狂地爱上了自己构思的小说中的一个虚构人物，和她一起生活，同她出游，甚至于就要因她和自己真实的女朋友分手了 [刘慈欣，黑暗森林 Electronic resource]。– (I'm madly in love with a character of its own novel. I was with her, I traveled with her, I even broke up with my real lover for her [Liu Qixin, Dark Forest, Electronic resource]).

Such a disease, which is paralleled in literary texts with love, is madness (疯狂地上上), which emphasizes the negative impact of love on a person.

我猜想三岛是一个在性问题上屡遭挫折的人，他对女人的爱恋到达了一种痴迷的程 [莫言，会唱歌的墙，[Electronic resource]– I guessed that San Dao had repeatedly failed in sexual matters; his love for women had reached some degree of insanity – translated by the author).

In this example, it is also noted that love can drive you crazy (到达了一一的的程), emphasizing the negative assessment of love.

Additionally, let's look at another example in this vein.

那么强大、那么跋扈的祖母的爱病态了这个敏感男孩的心 [莫言，会唱歌的墙，Electronic resource]- (The painful love of this powerful, self–willed and proud woman pathologically influenced the soul of this receptive boy - translated by the author).

As the example demonstrates, the conceptual metaphor of love correlates with the general understanding of disease, which puts emphasis on its pathological nature.

The comparison underlying the conceptual metaphor may be based on the understanding of love as a plant.

夜色深沉，淡蓝色的窗帘在窗前轻轻拂动，正是爱情茁壮生长的好时机 [莫言，红树林 Electronic resource]。– (In the fading twilight, light blue curtains swayed slightly, the most convenient time to nurture strong shoots of love – own translation).

In this example, there is a comparison of love with a plant, and a healthy plant (爱情茁壮). Like a plant, love can take root and also continue its development by giving shoots.

The cognitive metaphor of love can represent the combination of several objects of the real world, for example, a living being and a plant, for example:

他被那两颗晶亮的、耀眼的泪珠震惊了，爱情由此萌生 [莫言，十三步，[He was shocked by two shining, dazzling tears, hence the origin of love – translated by the author).

In this example, there is a combination of the perception of love as a living being, which, however, has the form of a plant. The lexeme has the meaning of "originate, arise" when it comes to abstract concepts (feelings, ideas, plans). A more detailed analysis of morphemes shows that the hieroglyph 萌 goes back to the meaning of "giving kidneys". Thus, love is born, like buds in the spring. Like a living being, love can not only be born, but also grow upwards, towards the sun, just like a plant.

The conceptual metaphor of love in Chinese literary texts can represent a person's idea of a reservoir.

你知道吗？我把自己最深的爱给了一个幻影！ [刘慈欣，黑暗森林 Electronic resource]– (don't you understand? I have given all my deepest love to the illusion! [Liu Qixin, Dark Forest, Electronic resource]).

In this case, the conceptual metaphor of love correlates with the depth of the reservoir (最深的的). Let's analyze the following example.

但悄悄渗入到他的潜意识之中，一步步把他拉向爱情的深渊 [刘慈欣，黑暗森林 Electronic resource]。– It really was an imperceptible music that invisibly penetrated his subconscious and step by step dragged him into the abyss of love [Liu Qixin, Dark Forest, Electronic resource]).

According to this context, love is not just a body of water, but a pool that threatens the death of a person in love.

It is advisable to consider another example.

后来在君士坦丁堡遇到一位美丽的圣女骑士，他们坠入爱河，由此诞生了这个伟大的家族…… [刘慈欣，死神永生，Electronic resource]. –(Then I came to Constantinople, where I met a beautiful girl, also a holy warrior. They fell in love with each other [plunged into the river of love], and their glorious family descended from them... [Liu Qixin, Eternal life of death, Electronic resource]).

In this context, love is presented to a native speaker in the form of a stream of water, into which a person can immerse himself, experiencing positive emotions.

In this regard, it should be noted the presence of an ambiguous interpretation of the metaphor of love in Chinese texts of the postmodern era, it can carry both a positive and a negative assessment.

程心的童年沐浴在母爱的阳光中，但只有母爱 [刘慈欣，死神永生，Electronic resource]. Cheng Xin's childhood was brightly illuminated by the love of a mother — but only of a mother [Liu Qixin, Eternal life of death, Electronic resource]).

Love can be compared to several objects in their interrelationship. These include such sources of metaphor as light and a pond. Let's try to explain such a peculiar combination of objects of the world within the framework of this cognitive metaphor. Most likely, at the beginning there was a comparison of light with a stream of water, based on the volume of this stream. Then there is a cognitive shift already in the interpretation of the metaphor of love, when it is important to emphasize the fact that love is a huge feeling, and a positive feeling that can be enjoyed, and a person plunges into love, like diving into a huge stream of light as into a stream of a large amount of water. The fact that the primary meaning was "to swim" may be indicated by the key "water" in hieroglyphs. In addition, J. Lakoff and M. Johnson noted that it is typical for a person, speaking about abstract concepts, to appeal to physical actions and quantities in order to simplify their understanding.

In Chinese art texts of the postmodern era, the conceptual metaphor of "love" can be correlated with an understanding of material value. Let's turn to the analysis of the example:

有一次，罗辑的心曾被金色的爱情完全占据，但那却是一次不可思议的经历 [刘慈欣，黑暗森林 Electronic resource]。– (Yes, it happened once. The golden light of love [golden love] lived in his soul five years ago. But this did not happen in reality [Liu Qixin, Dark Forest, Electronic resource]).

As an example shows, love is perceived by a native Chinese speaker as gold in its value. Moreover, it implies a moment of struggle during which a person resisted this feeling, but the person was captured by it (占据).

So, the conceptual metaphor of "love" in Chinese literary texts correlates with fire, light, disease, plant, pond and material value (gold).

We consider it necessary to clarify the nature of the creation of the conceptual metaphor "love" in Russian literary texts of the postmodern era.

In Russian texts, the conceptual metaphor of "love" correlates with fire.

Constantly, every minute she wanted something new, she burned the fire of our love, throwing into it everything new and new, because only new things could keep the flame burning. And now she has nothing to feed the fire with. Everything is burned, and there is no more new ... [Sorokin, Roman, Electronic resource].

According to the context, the conceptual metaphor under study is created by comparing it with a fire that a person kindles, and a person aims to keep the fire burning by feeding it with new impressions. Gorenje But, like fire, love ceases to exist, and is compared to the extinction of fire.

Let's analyze another example.

In order for the rainbow radiance to flood everything around, it was necessary to lower the flaming ball of love even lower, leading it beyond the point of the great limit, which in foxes is three inches from the base of the tail [Pelevin, the Holy Book of the werewolf, Electronic resource].

As for this example, it notes the peculiarity of the representation of love as fire. The heroine of the work needs to present her feeling in the form of something tangible in order to control it, and for this purpose the most appropriate comparison is a ball, representing a concentrated feeling of love. At the same time, this ball is compared to fire, it burns, showing the power of feeling.

The conceptual metaphor of "love" can relate to light. In this regard, we should touch on the example below:

You, Temple, have felt a little bit of this love. You just touched her. This is only the first ray of the great Sun that touched your heart [Sorokin, Ice, Electronic resource].

As the example demonstrates, a conceptual metaphor is created by comparing love with the light of the sun, which is called great, penetrating into the heart of a loved one.

In Russian texts, the conceptual metaphor of "love" is based on its comparison with illness.

But, on the other hand, love? After all, Raphael, Goethe, and Dante fell madly in love [Sorokin, Roman, Electronic resource].

According to the example, the conceptual metaphor of love is based on the perception of this feeling as a specific disease, namely insanity, insanity, unconsciousness, when a person cannot control himself.

But in Russian texts there are other cases, for example:

– That's the cure for love. Ha, ha, ha! – Anton Petrovich laughed loudly [Sorokin, Roman, Electronic resource].

As for this example, here love is compared with the disease in general, and not with any specific one. In this case, a person seeks to get rid of love as a disease, and is looking for a cure for it, although he perceives it in an ironic way.

The metaphor under study can be formed by comparing it with a reservoir. It is often represented in the mind of a native speaker in the form of a river or stream – a body of water that has a current. This is especially true of the love of a person for a person.

Her heart is trembling, sending the last farewell waves of love [Sorokin, Ice, Electronic resource].

In this example, love is represented as waves of a water stream that can leave, roll back, showing the end of the feeling itself.

But these waves can be different, for example, when love is opposed to hate.

As if two tsunami waves collide, collide: one wave is hatred, the other is love [Sorokin, Oprichnik Day, Electronic resource].

In this example, we consider the collision of two opposite feelings as waves, when one wave is love and the other is hate. And if in nature tsunami waves are not capable of colliding, then in human consciousness they collide, knocking down everything in their path.

But besides the love of man for man, there are examples of God's love for man in Russian texts.

It is hard to believe that someone might think that this three-letter word [God] is the source of eternal love and mercy, the reflection of which makes life in this world partially possible [Pelevin, Chapaev and Emptiness, Electronic resource].

According to the example, the conceptual metaphor "love" to emphasize the love of God correlates with the source of the flow of love and mercy. But this example is also interesting because the conceptual metaphor under study is based not only on a comparison with a reservoir, but also with light (the reflection of which makes life in this world partially possible).

In addition to human love for man and Divine love, Russian texts also contain a representation of love in a philosophical meaning.

I call it the conditional river of absolute love [Pelevin, Chapaev and Emptiness, Electronic resource].

As an example shows, the conceptual metaphor of philosophical love is based on a conditional comparison with a river when talking about absolute love.

Let's analyze another example.

At such moments, Roman forgot about everything, his thoughts left him, he completely surrendered to these bottomless eyes, plunging into their luminous depths, radiant with the endless light of love ... [Sorokin, Roman, Electronic resource].

In the above example, love is comparable to the light contained in the gaze of a person in love.

Along with the analyzed cases, the representation of the conceptual metaphor of love as a material value was found in Russian texts. Like a material value, love has its own value.

There is nothing in our world more precious than the immaculate fatherly love for the little ones of this world! [Sorokin, Roman, Electronic resource].

As the example demonstrates, the conceptual metaphor of "love" has a high value as a material value.

But there are other interpretations of love.

The only joy I have in life is someone else's love. If a person is not given his own, he feeds on someone else's. Or God's [Sorokin, Tellurgy, Electronic resource].

According to the example given, love as a material value can belong to a person and, having high significance, it is able to nourish a person, continuing his life.

In addition to the cases presented above, in Russian art texts of the postmodern era, the conceptual metaphor "love" can show the process of the emergence of love by comparing it with a living being.

If the love born in the heart was true, then after the scream, the tail will stop creating this world for a second. [Pelevin, The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, Electronic resource].

The process of the birth of love is considered possible as the process of the birth of a living being.

Consequently, in Russian art texts of the postmodern era, the conceptual metaphor of "love" is created by comparing it with fire, light, disease, a reservoir, material value and a living being.

Let us turn to a comparative analysis of the sources of conceptual metaphor identified by us in Chinese and Russian literary texts. The results are presented in a summary table.

Table 1. Summary table of sources of the conceptual metaphor "love" in Chinese and Russian literary texts

As the table shows, in both Chinese and Russian literary texts of the postmodern era, the sources of the conceptual metaphor "love" can be fire, light, pond, disease and material value, although the interpretation of each source in the compared texts has specifics. In Chinese texts, unlike in Russian, the source may be a plant. And in Russian texts it is a living being. However, it is worth noting that most of the source areas in Chinese and Russian overlap, which indicates a similar perception of such a feeling as love at the level of thinking and, as a result, at the linguistic level.