A Comparative Analysis of Left and Right Spatial Metaphors in Chinese and Vietnamese: An Interlinguistic Study

Abstract

Metaphors pervade our daily lives and thinking, serving not just as rhetorical devices but as tools for understanding the world. Humans have developed various spatial orientations based on their understanding of themselves and the objective world. However, due to different value systems, each ethnicity perceives these orientations differently. This paper compares the spatial metaphors of "left" and "right" in Chinese and Vietnamese from a cognitive metaphor perspective. It reveals that due to cultural differences, the languages exhibit both corresponding and non-corresponding metaphorical relationships. Understanding these similarities and differences deepens our knowledge of the expression of metaphorical cognition in Chinese, as well as the psychological and thought patterns of the Chinese people.