A Comparative Analysis of the Conceptual Metaphor of 'Water' (水: Shuǐ) in Mandarin and Indonesian Proverbs from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Du Xiaomei; Aceng Ruhendi Syaifullah

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.8648

A Comparative Analysis of the Conceptual Metaphor of 'Water' (水: Shuǐ) in Mandarin and Indonesian Proverbs from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Du Xiaomei, Aceng Ruhendi Syaifullah

Abstract

Water, as a fundamental element of human life, frequently appears in both Chinese and Indonesian proverbs. This study presents a comparative analysis of conceptual metaphors associated with the lexical item 水 (shuǐ) / air in the proverbial expressions of the two cultures. A total of 40 water-related proverbs were examined, comprising 20 Mandarin expressions (Proverbs 12 and 10 idiomatic expressions) and 20 Indonesian peribahasa. The Mandarin data were drawn from the Hanyu Yanyu Da Cidian (The Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs), Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary), and other authoritative reference works, while the Indonesian data were sourced from the Kamus Peribahasa Indonesia and KBBI. The inclusion criteria were: i) containing the lexical item 水 (shuǐ) or air; ii) functioning as a proverb or idiomatic expressions; iii) carrying metaphorical meaning; and (4) cross-validated through multiple authoritative dictionaries. Through cross-cultural comparison, the analysis reveals that the metaphorical mapping of "water" exhibits more convergences than divergences across the two linguistic traditions, despite their distinct cultural backgrounds. The concept of "water" is pervasively associated with themes of unpredictability and flux, purification and sacredness, vitality and sustenance, as well as social relationships. These shared patterns suggest a common cognitive grounding in human experience with water, while culture-specific nuances also emerge in the ways these metaphors are elaborated. This study underscores the value of proverbs as rich repositories of local worldviews, reflecting culturally embedded beliefs about nature, life, and human interaction.

Keywords

conceptual metaphor theory; water metaphor; mandarin proverbs; indonesian proverbs; cross-cultural comparison

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.8648