The Semantics of Idiomatic Expressions with the Numerical Component “Zero” in English and Chinese
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52575/2712-7451-2026-45-1-173-182Keywords:
phraseological unit, chengyu, numerical component, “zero”, linguacultural studies, the Chinese language, the English language, comparative analysisAbstract
In the context of globalization and accelerated scientific and technological progress, the significance of cultural codes embedded in language endures. Numerical symbolism, as a universal element of human culture, possesses profound nationally-specific content. Phraseological units, particularly Chinese chengyu, serve as a concentrated reflection of a people’s historical experience, traditions, and worldviews. The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of the culturally determined semantics of Chinese idioms containing the numeral “zero” and to compare them with their English equivalents for this concept. For the purposes of linguistic and cultural analysis, 71 chengyu containing the numeral “zero” were selected using a comprehensive sampling method. All units were classified into four categories: “disorder, chaos, destruction, fragmentation”, “strategy, tactics, method, course of action”, “insignificance”, and “decline, weakness, loneliness”. It has been established that in the Chinese linguistic worldview, the “zero” component possesses a consistently negative connotation and predominantly symbolizes an active process of the destruction of wholeness, a transition to a state of fragmentation, decline and chaos; in English, the component “zero” functions primarily as a neutral marker of an abstract point on a scale, denoting a reference point, an absolute minimum, precise focus or a balance of forces. Thus, it has been established that the Chinese perception of this numerical component is processual and figurative (visualization of disintegration, falling), whilst the Western (English) perception is static and conceptual (orientation towards a scale, model, point). The findings allow us to conclude that phraseological units with numerical components serve as vivid “cultural codes”. A comparative linguistic and cultural analysis clearly demonstrates how the same mathematical concept is embedded in different national worldviews, acquiring fundamentally different value connotations and figurative associations, which deepens our understanding of the specifics of linguistic consciousness and cultural worldviews.
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