Deciphering the Discourse Metaphor of Hanshan

  • Mojca Pretnar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47979/aror.j.83.1.161-185
Keywords: Hanshan, cenario, path to self-realization, state of mind, discourse metaphor

Abstract

The study considers the poetry of Hanshan (寒山) from the Tang dynasty (618–907), and twenty-two so-called Hanshan poems, in which Hanshan Mountain has a metaphoric meaning. The study uses the tools of cognitive linguistics to decipher this personal, culturally related metaphor by investigating the background scenarios. This research focuses on these poems, seeing each as representing the discourse metaphor STATE OF MIND IS A MOUNTAIN. In addition, if Hanshan is a metaphor, then all natural images that constitute the mountain can be considered as parts of the metaphor too, and thus are part of the scenarios that explain the state of mind that Hanshan represents. The analysis reveals that there are two scenarios, CONTAINER and JOURNEY scenario, where the GOAL of the journey is embedded in the CONTAINER scenario. These poems narrate the stories of the journey toward self-realization and the state of mind revealed in the CONTAINER scenario, while the narratives reveal certain aspects about some of the cultural and social beliefs that existed during the Tang Dynasty.

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Author Biography

Mojca Pretnar

MOJCA PRETNAR is a Slovenian sinologist and literary translator. After graduating from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, she received her MA from the Chinese Language and Literature Department, National University of Tainan, Taiwan (R. O. C.), and is currently a PhD candidate in the Chinese Literature Department, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan (R. O. C.). Her main research interests encompass poetic language, cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor theory with focus on Chinese Literature.

Published
2015-05-15
How to Cite
Pretnar, M. (2015). Deciphering the Discourse Metaphor of Hanshan. Archiv orientální, 83(1), 161-185. https://doi.org/10.47979/aror.j.83.1.161-185
Issue
Vol. 83 No. 1 (2015)
Section
Research Article

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