중국어휘에 반영된 색채어 ‘白’에 관한 인지의미 분석

Abstract

This paper analyzes the use of the color word ‘bai 白 (white)’ in the Chinese lexicon, including idiomatic expressions and proverbs. The findings are summarized as follows. The Chinese color word ‘bai 白 (white),’ found in the oracle bone script and dictionaries, refers to the color of rice grain, water, snow, and frost. This reflects the shared experience of the Chinese people for recognizing these common objects as associated with the color word ‘bai 白 (white).’ The cognitive meanings of the color word ‘bai 白 (white)’ are organically structured. The physical and general meaning of ‘bai 白 (white)’ are ‘white’ and ‘bright.’ The definition extends to social and psychological meanings such as ‘reaction’ and ‘to be right’; and further to figurative or idiomatic meanings including ‘clear, without anything added, in vain, for free’ and ‘funeral,’ forming a multilateral relational structure. Although three-syllable words taking the form of ‘bai 白XX’ are most diverse in the Chinese lexicon related to the color word ‘bai 白 (white),’ the usage of ‘bai 白,’ ‘baibai 白白,’ and ‘baise 白色’ are also noticeable. These words are alternately used depending on the cognitive meaning intended. For instance, the form ‘bai 白’ is most frequently used to mean ‘white, bright, clear, without anything added, funeral, to look at the corner of one’s eye , to be right, virtue, negative, and evil’; and ‘bai 白’ and ‘baibai 白白’ to mean ‘in vain,’ and ‘for free.’ ‘bai 白’ and ‘baise 白色’ are used to mean ‘social reaction,’ and ‘baise 白色’ to mean ‘legal.’ This alternate use of varying forms of the color word ‘bai 白’ demonstrates the ‘formal component’ materialized by its different cognitive meanings in the Chinese lexicon.