Comparativa semántica, cultural y metafórica entre modismos chinos y españoles en la categoría cromática del blanco y del negro

Abstract

This article takes the idioms related to the colors black and white in Chinese and Spanish
as an object of research, exploring the divergences and convergences in terms of figurative
meanings, cultural connotations and metaphorical cognition of such linguistic expressions.
The main findings are that: there is a considerable divergence between the figurative meanings
harbored by “white” in Chinese and Spanish idioms, while those others related to “black” show notable
convergences; Unlike Chinese idioms, which concentrate moral and ethical connotations, the Spanish ones
that incorporate the color white are characterized by individualistic character traits and traces of colonial
culture; “black”, for its part, represents in many cases “evil and chaos” in Chinese culture, while in Spanish
idioms this same color is related to social values ​​reflected in individual and legal norms; Finally, in
expressions with the color white, there are substantial and abundant divergences in terms of the metaphorical
framework between Chinese and Spanish, while these discrepancies in the idioms about “black” are minor.