| Resum: |
Directional complements (DCs) in Chinese have long attracted linguistic interest due to their polysemy, semantic complexity, and formal similarities with resultative complements, leading to multiple definitions and classifications in the literature (e. g. Chao, 1968; Li & Thompson, 1981; Liu et al. , 2004; Fisac, 2023). However, existing descriptions often rely on heterogeneous classification criteria and lack a systematic treatment of metaphorical meanings. From a cognitive linguistics perspective, this limitation can be attributed to the insufficient consideration of the relationship between structure and meaning. Although metaphorical uses of DCs are generally acknowledged, they are rarely analysed in a principled way, resulting in classifications that fail to capture their full semantic complexity. Previous studies have suggested that a cognitive approach may offer a more coherent account of these phenomena (e. g. Yin, 2011; Wang & Su, 2015; Yang & Li, 2025). This paper analyses the directional complement qǐlái 起来 from the perspective of Cognitive Grammar (Langacker, 1987) and Talmy’s (2000) theory of macro-events, drawing on descriptions found in existing Chinese reference grammars. The study adopts a qualitative, theory-driven methodology. Meanings associated with qǐlái are first extracted from a selection of authoritative grammatical sources, with a distinction made between literal and metaphorical uses. These meanings are then analysed in terms of their underlying conceptual motivations, focusing on the relationship between formal structure, event structure, and conceptualisation. The analysis is expected to show that the multiple uses of 起来qǐlái can be systematically accounted for through metaphorical extensions grounded in spatial and event-structural schemas. On this basis, the paper proposes a revised semantic classification of 起来qǐlái that offers a more coherent and cognitively motivated account than existing descriptions, reducing descriptive fragmentation and clarifying the links between literal and non-literal meanings. As a case study, 起来 qǐlái serves to illustrate how this cognitive approach can be extrapolated to other directional complements. More broadly, the analysis points towards the possibility of developing a new, unified classification of Chinese directional complements that resolves metaphorical discontinuities present in previous accounts. Such a classification not only contributes to a more systematic theoretical description of DCs, but also provides a cognitively grounded foundation for their teaching in the Chinese as a foreign language classroom. |
visitant ::
identificació
(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Traducció i d'Interpretació i d'Estudis de l'Àsia Oriental)
