book: The Chinese HEART in a Cognitive Perspective
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The Chinese HEART in a Cognitive Perspective

Culture, Body, and Language
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2009
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Applications of Cognitive Linguistics [ACL]

About this book

This book is a cognitive semantic study of the Chinese conceptualization of the heart, traditionally seen as the central faculty of cognition. The Chinese word xin, which primarily denotes the heart organ, covers the meanings of both "heart" and "mind" as understood in English, which upholds a heart-head dichotomy. In contrast to the Western dualist view, Chinese takes on a more holistic view that sees the heart as the center of both emotions and thought. The contrast characterizes two cultural traditions that have developed different conceptualizations of person, self, and agent of cognition.

The concept of "heart" lies at the core of Chinese thought and medicine, and its importance to Chinese culture is extensively manifested in the Chinese language. Diachronically, this book traces the roots of its conception in ancient Chinese philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine. Along the synchronic dimension, it not only makes a systematic analysis of conventionalized expressions that reflect the underlying cultural models and conceptualizations, as well as underlying conceptual metaphors and metonymies, but also attempts a textual analysis of an essay and a number of poems for their metaphoric and metonymic images and imports contributing to the cultural models and conceptualizations. It also takes up a comparative perspective that sheds light on similarities and differences between Western and Chinese cultures in the understanding of the heart, brain, body, mind, self, and person.

The book contributes to the understanding of the embodied nature of human cognition situated in its cultural context, and the relationship between language, culture, and cognition.

Author / Editor information

Ning Yu, University of Oklahoma, USA.

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    Frontmatter

    I
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    Table of contents

    VII
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  • Chapter 1. Introduction: Heart, body and mind
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    1.1. Object and goal: Chinese concept of xin ‘heart’

    1
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    1.2. Heart, culture, and cognition

    6
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    1.3. Body, society, and cognition

    12
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    1.4. Body, mind, and culture

    19
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    1.5. Cognitive semantic study of metaphor: Embodiment

    28
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    1.6. Structure of the book

    34
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  • Chapter 2. The HEART in ancient Chinese philosophy
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    2.1. Introduction: Basic philosophical notions and constructs

    36
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    2.2. The heart as the locus of the “mind”

    44
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    2.3. The heart as the locus of moral sense

    62
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    2.4. The heart as the locus of societal governance

    81
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    2.5. Summary and discussion

    87
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  • Chapter 3 The HEART in traditional Chinese medicine
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    3.1. Introduction: Basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine

    103
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    3.2. The heart as the ruler of the body

    a110
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    3.3. The heart as the grand master of the internal organs

    121
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    3.4. The heart or brain: Which one governs the spiritual light?

    130
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    3.5. Summary and discussion

    135
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  • Chapter 4 The HEART in present-day Chinese language
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    4.1. Introduction: A cognitive semantic study

    147
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    4.2. The heart as a physical entity

    154
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    4.3. The heart as the locus of one’s inner self

    178
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    4.4. The heart as the locus of mental life

    206
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    4.5. The heart as the locus of emotional life

    235
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    4.6. Summary and discussion

    273
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  • Chapter 5 The HEART in present-day Chinese discourse
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    5.1. Introduction: Textual analysis

    291
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    5.2. The heart in an essay on the “heart”

    293
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    5.3. The heart in some poems on the “heart”

    308
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    5.4. Summary and discussion

    328
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  • Chapter 6 The HEART in cross-cultural comparison
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    6.1. Introduction: An external viewpoint

    332
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    6.2. Conceptions of the heart and brain in the West

    333
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    6.3. A comparative perspective from English

    349
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    6.4. Four humors and five elements

    357
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    6.5. Summary and discussion

    363
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  • Chapter 7 Conclusion
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    7.1. Looking back in perspective: Some highlights

    367
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    7.2. Bringing into focus: Holism and dualism, heart and head

    375
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    7.3. Looking beyond: Methodological issues

    382
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    7.4. Emerging from it: Afterword

    387
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    Backmatter

    388
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
February 26, 2009
eBook ISBN:
9783110213348
Hardcover published on:
January 21, 2009
Hardcover ISBN:
9783110205169
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Front matter:
9
Main content:
444
Illustrations:
10
Tables:
5
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110213348
eBook ISBN: 9783110213348
Hardcover ISBN: 9783110205169
Keywords for this book
Cognitive linguistics; Chinese (language)
Audience(s) for this book
Scholars and Graduate Students in the Fields of Cognitive Linguistics, Cultural and Cognitive Anthropology, Philosophy of Language and Mind, and Cultural Studies, especially those who study Chinese Language and Culture
Safety & product resources
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