A Semantic Analysis of “Peach” in Chinese and Japanese

This paper presents a comparative semantic analysis of the concept of "peach" as manifested in Chinese and Japanese four-character idioms and proverbs.Drawing on authoritative lexicographical sources, the study examines both shared and divergent cultural perceptions associated with peaches in the two languages.Guided by theories from cognitive linguistics-specifically metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche-the paper analyzes the mechanisms through which semantic extensions develop from the core meaning of "peach" as a plant to a range of abstract meanings.The findings reveal that while many semantic extensions are shared due to historical transmission from China to Japan, each language has also developed culturally specific interpretations shaped by local social experience.