汉语动物类佛教成语规约性的认知解释

Abstract

Chinese Buddhist idioms are an integral part of Chinese idioms and serve as a microcosm of the close relationship between Sanskrit and Chinese cultures. The usage of these idioms is conventional, meaning that there is a conventionality between their form and meaning. This paper discusses the conventionality of Chinese Buddhist idioms from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. Metaphor and metonymy can be seen as the cognitive mechanisms behind idiom formation. This paper primarily focuses on the implicit metaphor or metonymy that arise due to conventionality in idioms, which are referred to as hypermetaphor and hypermetonymy. The paper categorizes Chinese Buddhist idioms related to animals into conventionally implied metaphor and conventionally implied metonymy for research. The hypermetaphor and hypermetonymy in these idioms are closely associated with the history of Buddhist thought and animals, forming the foundation of idiom meaning construction. Even though they are implicit, they still serve as prompts in the online comprehension of idioms as a mental space. In general, the conventionality of Chinese Buddhist idioms related to animals encompasses various aspects including Sanskrit-Chinese cultural exchange, linguistic symbols and societal consensus. It is necessary to provide cognitive interpretations of the underlying Buddhist meanings behind them.