A Study on the Components of Simile Expressions in Modern Chinese

Metaphor is a figure of speech that directly substitutes one object for another, and does not use a figurative marker. In contrast, similes directly compare two objects or ideas using a figurative marker. In the field of Chinese grammar, while metaphors have been extensively studied, research on similes remains comparatively scarce. Therefore, this paper examines the components and characteristics of simile expressions.<br/> Based on previous research findings, this paper discusses the components of Chinese simile expressions. Previous studies have recognized similarity as a major component, but have rarely mentioned heterogeneity. However, this paper includes both similarity and heterogeneity as major components of similes. Additionally, this paper broadly categorizes the components of similes into semantic components and formal components. Furthermore, this paper clarifies that similarity and heterogeneity are part of the semantic components, while the formal components include the subject of simile, the object of simile, the simile marker, the explanation of simile, and the development of simile.<br/> The components of simile expressions have the following characteristics. First, heterogeneity is an important factor in determining the meaning of a simile. Second, the object of simile and simile marker must be included in a simile expression, but the subject of simile can be omitted if it can be inferred from the context. Third, the explanation of simile and the development of simile may appear or be omitted depending on technical necessity.