The World of Metaphors in Liu Zhenyun's Prose

This study examines the system of metaphorical images in the prose of contemporary Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun. The analysis is based on seven novels published between 2003 and 2025 ("Cell Phone", "The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon", "Someone to Talk To", "I Did Not Kill My Husband", "Strange Bedfellows", "One Day Three Autumns", and "Salty Jokes"). Metaphor is examined as the structural and substantive core that shapes the author's unique style. The primary goal of the study is to demonstrate that metaphorical constructs are a key means of conveying cultural and philosophical meanings and representing pressing historical and social issues. The study aims to demonstrate how metaphors, deeply rooted in national tradition, acquire universal resonance, revealing the potential of Chinese literary text. The methodology involves identifying frequent metaphors in a corpus of seven novels by Liu Zhenyun, followed by a multifaceted analysis. The study utilizes the tools of cultural linguistics and intertextual analysis to uncover cultural, philosophical, historical, and social meanings. The research's novelty lies in its comprehensive analysis of Liu Zhenyun's metaphors as a key element of his unique style, which synthesizes deep national traditions with universal philosophical concerns. For the first time, using the author's seven novels, it systematically demonstrates how multi-level metaphors—from individual phraseological units to complex intertextual structures—serve to explicate cultural and philosophical meanings and explore relevant socio-historical themes. The study's main conclusion confirms that the writer's metaphorical language, despite its roots in specific Chinese culture, possesses significant universal value. He masterfully transforms everyday situations into powerful tools for understanding eternal questions of morality and human nature, serving as a living bridge between cultural tradition and modernity. Thus, Liu Zhenyun's work represents a highly promising object of interdisciplinary research, opening new horizons for literary studies, cultural studies, sociology, and philosophy.

Liu Zhenyun, Chinese literature, Metaphor, Phraseologism, Idioms, Language game, Intertext, Precedent phenomena, China, Fiction