Preface

Through a comparative analysis of the conceptual metaphors identified in the political speeches by former US President Barack Obama and former Chinese President Hu Jintao，this book explores the similarities and differences between the conceptual metaphors in English and Chinese data，distills the deep causes underlying different metaphor choices on the basis of bodily and cultural experiences and proves that abstract concepts in Chinese political discourse are fundamentally metaphorical in nature. Moreover，the book considers some issues with respect to interdisciplinary research on metaphor.

Methodologically，the book divides the formal speeches from two leaders into five major categories，i.e. Address on National Independence，Address in University，Address on Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief，New Year Greetings and Inaugural Address. Based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory （CMT） and a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis，I adopt the Critical Metaphor Analysis （CMA），i.e. contextual analysis，metaphor identification，metaphor interpretation and metaphor explanation to carry out a comparative analysis of the conceptual metaphors in English and Chinese data.

In the course of the book，I strive to test the pervasiveness of conceptual metaphors in Chinese political discourse；more specifically，I clarify whether abstract concepts are partially constructed and realized in terms of conceptual metaphors in Chinese data；I then identify and analyze the typical conceptual metaphors that occur in English and Chinese data，explore the similarities and differences between the conceptual metaphors in the two languages and distill the underlying factors behind the metaphor use from the perspective of culture and embodiment. The comparative study finally shows that：

·Conceptual metaphors are pervasive in the construction of abstract concepts in Chinese political discourse.

·Abstract concepts are partially constructed and realized in terms of conceptual metaphors in Chinese political discourse. There is，however，no employment of the abstract to metaphorize the abstract or the abstract to metaphorize the concrete.

·There are HUMAN metaphor，BUILDING metaphor，JOURNEY metaphor and FAMILY metaphor both in English and Chinese data；DRAMA metaphor and RELIGIOUS metaphor are specific to English data while WAR metaphor and CIRCLE metaphor are unique in Chinese data.

·The similarities between conceptual metaphors in English and Chinese political discourse originate from human experiential bases in the physical world rather than a thin air. Since Americans and Chinese share a large part of same or similar bodily and cultural experiences which human cognition is rooted in，it comes as no surprise that we can find the shared conceptual structures both in English and Chinese data.

·Human language patterns，cultural background and linguistic worldviews strongly influence the use of conceptual metaphors such that different characteristics and features can be reflected in the metaphorical cognition of English and Chinese political languages respectively. Therefore，people from different cultural communities tend to use different metaphorical concepts in the conceptualization and categorization of the physical world.

Nick C.Lau

Yunbinwan，Powerlong

January 2018