The Ideology of China From Perspectives of Conceptual Metaphor—Illustrated by Xi Jinping’s 2020 New Year Speech

Abstract

Metaphor not only is a rhetorical device but also could be a cognitive mechanism. Conceptual metaphor has raised great attention in cognitive linguistics in recent years. The present study examines the conceptual metaphor in 2020 New Year Speech and classifies different conceptual metaphor into their own type and calculates the frequency. The results show that orientation metaphor occupies highest frequency, 10 times. The findings reveal that all kinds of conceptual metaphors serve to make the speech vivid and try to get people closed. There is no aggression in the speech. President Xi used conceptual metaphor to better convey the gains of the past year and the direction of the next year, while at the same time conveying the image of a friendly country in the world.