Analysing Different Dimensions of the Lexical Meaning of "Xian Sheng" from the Textual Corpus of the Republic of China

Abstract

Vocabulary is a reflection of social thought. As an appellation, the Chinese word "Xian Sheng" expresses the social relationship between people in different social states. The Republic of China period was a special era from 1912 to 1949; the feudal imperial system had just disappeared, so the referential object of "Xian Sheng" was then generalised. This paper focuses on the meaning of "Xian Sheng" in the textual corpus of the Republic of China period. It discusses the inheritance of the old meaning, the similarities and differences between the Chinese and Japanese meanings, and the emergence of the new meaning by applying comprehensive analysis and inductive comparison. It is concluded that while feudalism remains and democratic and scientific thinking prevails, interpersonal relations in the Republic of China tend to be equalised, and the status of women has been improved to a certain extent. This study of interpersonal relationships in China during the Republic of China will be conducted by analysing this vocabulary. At the same time, it will consider whether the term "Xian Sheng" still applies to women today.