A Study on the Cultural Connotation of the Chinese Zodiac Tiger Idioms and the Commonalities with Culture
Keywords:
Tiger, Idiom, Emotional Color of Words, Cultural Image and Meaning, Cultural IntegrationAbstract
The zodiac tiger and the animal image of tiger exist in both Chinese and Thai cultures, and are also very common in idioms in both languages. According to previous studies, there are differences between the Chinese and Thai cultures in the image of the zodiac tiger as an animal, and very little has been discussed about the commonalities between the two cultures. In this paper, based on the background of in-depth cooperation and exchange between China and Thailand in the new era, we adopt the combination research methods of documentary research, empirical research, qualitative research, meaning analysis, induction, and comparative analysis. We selected the Chinese idioms that use zodiac "Tiger" as an animal image and conducted a comprehensive investigation and induction the data. Then obtained the cultural connotations and cultural tendencies of them. And the commonalities and characteristics of the Chinese zodiac “tiger” in Chinese and Thai cultures are explored.
Based on this study, the author draws a conclusion: there are commonalities in the cultural image meaning of "tiger" between Chinese and Thai cultures. Specifically, "tiger" in both cultures has positive, negative and neutral color meanings with the least positive color; neutral colors are all expressed in the original meaning of "mammal", negative colors are expressed in the meaning of "threat or brutal", and positive colors are expressed in the meaning of "strong or powerful". In addition, the author also explains several reasons for the commonality of Chinese and Thai "tiger-เสือ" cultures from five aspects: nature, history, social and culture, religious beliefs, and national psychology. Based on this, the idea of realizing cultural integration in the cultural exchange between China and Thailand, and the principles were put.
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