A Study on “Chou” Metaphors in 300 Song Lyrics

Advancements in modern cognitive linguistics have rendered metaphor a conceptual tool for understanding the world. The interplay between emotion and cognition highlights the importance of studying human emotions, which are often metaphorized by people. The expression “Chou” is one of the most prevalent emotions in Chinese Song Lyrics. This paper adopts a cognitive linguistics perspective, utilizing 300 Song Lyrics as the corpus, to conduct a detailed exploration and analysis of the types and meanings of “Chou” metaphors by applying Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The study identifies six main types of “Chou” metaphors in 300 Song Lyrics, namely ontological metaphors, image metaphors, body metaphors, personification, synaesthetic metaphors, and reverse metaphors. Among them, the most common are ontological metaphors and image metaphors. This paper aids in a better understanding of the emotion of “Chou” in Song Lyrics. It is also significant for enhancing appreciation of Chinese poetry and literature, while facilitating a deeper understanding of the characteristics of national metaphorical thinking and promoting cultural exchange.