Abstract: This paper selects four basic sense of taste words “sour”, “sweet”, “bitter” and “spicy” in Chinese and English as the subjects of research. Based on rich data, the paper makes a comparative study of metaphorical meanings between English and Chinese sense of taste words “sour”, “sweet”, “bitter” and “spicy” It finds that Chinese and English share many metaphorical meanings of taste words because of human cognitive universality and common bodily experiences. Besides, Chinese and English have their exclusive taste metaphorical meanings due to cultural differences.

Key words: sense of taste word; metaphorical meanings; comparison

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

3. Comparison of Metaphorical Meanings Between Chinese and English Sense of Taste Words-2

3.1 Analysis of Suan(酸) and “Sour” and Their Metaphorical Meanings-2

3.2 Analysis of Tian (甜) and “Sweet” and Their Metaphorical Meanings-4

3.3 Analysis of Ku(苦) and “Bitter” and Their Metaphorical Meanings-6

3.4 Analysis of La(辣) and “Spicy” and Their Metaphorical Meanings-7

4. Conclusion-8

Bibliography-10

Acknowledgements-11