Metaphorical expressions of crisis and their role in the legitimation of dissent in Sinic thought

Abstract This contribution explores the metaphors for crisis in connection with the emergence of a culture of dissent in East Asia, in particular in Confucianism. Both topics are intimately related inasmuch as crisis can be a catalyst for, a result of, and a threat to such a culture. We suggest that these “critical” junctions are reflected in the metaphoric expression of liminal situations. This hypothesis is substantiated with textual materials from ancient China and Chosŏn Korea. The Chinese materials afford insights into the development of the metaphoric field of crisis and the unfolding of its implications, while the Korean materials serve to test how these played out in long durée, demonstrating their continued productive vitality.