《史記》‘修身’ 담론의 개념 은유 연구

초록

This study examines narratives related to xiushen (修身, self-cultivation) in the Shiji (史記) with the aim of exploring how moral self-cultivation was conceptualized and represented through specific cognitive mechanisms from a cognitive semantic perspective. To this end, twenty cases of xiushen were analyzed by applying the theory of conceptual metaphor. The analysis demonstrates that xiushen is conceptualized, at the personal level, as a 'stabilizing device' that sustains self-reflection and composure; at the social level, as an 'institutional foundation' that guarantees fairness and political order; and at the moral level, as an 'intangible asset' and a form of 'sustainable value.' In particular, metaphors such as 'catalyst (seed),' 'filter,' 'vessel,' 'balancing device,' and 'gift' reveal that xiushen is not an abstract norm but rather a concrete cognitive framework rooted in everyday experience. Furthermore, this study organizes the conceptualization of xiushen according to Heine’s (1994) model of conceptual hierarchy, confirming that the [object] and [space] domains are especially salient. In doing so, it empirically illustrates the processes by which xiushen is concretized through metaphorical mechanisms, while also reaffirming its role as the foundation of the Confucian sequence of qijia (齊家, regulating the family), zhiguo (治國, governing the state), and pingtianxia (平天下, bringing peace to the world). By cross-examining the conceptualization of xiushen from linguistic, intellectual-historical, and cultural perspectives, this study highlights both the potential of cognitive linguistics for classical text interpretation and its academic contribution.

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