Metaphorical Expressions of Temperature Sensory Words in the Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

This article presents a study of metaphorical expressions of temperature sensory words in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It demonstrates that TCM practitioners used the temperature sensory words such as “Heat” or “Cold” to illustrate the human body system including physiological functions, pathogenesis, therapeutic principles and herbs. Metaphorical mapping was applied for exploring and analyzing the expressions of “cold” and “heat” included in the language of TCM. Body experiences to nature and macro phenomena of nature are the foundation and logical materials. The results show that through sensory interaction in human body and nature, Chinese ancients spontaneously generate a novel reference-system of exploring the human body, as well as treatment of disease, which was made on the basis of referring to the theory of Yin-Yang. This theory forms a cognitive or cultural model underlying the metaphorical conceptualization and primitive thought in Chinese. This study shows that metaphors of temperature sensory words in TCM are primarily based on common bodily experience. It also provides empirical evidence, from a language of TCM, to support the claim that metaphor is essential in human understanding, meaning, and reasoning, even creating.