2.2 Studies on metaphor in China 来!自~吹冰论-文|网www.chuibin.com

In China, metaphor is often seemed as one of the two forms of biyu,with the other one being simile. Simile is an explicit comparison signaled by the words “like”or “as” while metaphor is an implicit comparison without being signaled by such words. (Hu 27-28) Moreover, according to Aristotle’s definition, metaphor and simile are essentially the same. So, directly speaking, the concept of metaphor in the west is more similar to that of biyu in China instead of those on metaphor. (Gu 16-17)

It should be noted that the history of the studies on biyu is very long in China, and it is even longer than that of the studies on metaphor in the west. The studies can be retrospected to the early Qin Dynasty, or even to the early days of the Spring and Autumn Period and the period of the Warring States. For instance, the Confusion classic Zhou Li first mentioned the techniques of “bi” ang “xing” (metaphor , analogy or trope) used in The Book of Songs.