Lexical and semantic features of phraseological units with a zoonym component in Russian and Chinese
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2026-3-16-23
The issues of analyzing the specificity of the phraseological fund from the perspective of a comparative aspect do not lose their significance in modern linguistics. The purpose of this article is to identify the lexical and semantic features of phraseological units with a zoonym component in Russian and Chinese. The research work is based on the application of comparative analysis method, which allowed to identify universal and unique lexical and semantic features of phraseological units with a zoonym component in Russian and Chinese; the method of quantitative analysis was used as well, which gave the opportunity to determine the most and least frequent thematic groups of phraseological units with a zoonym component nominating the specifics of the studied linguistic cultures. It has been proven that phraseological units with a zoonym component that demonstrates human actions specific features prevail in both Russian and Chinese linguistic cultures, which is explained by the significance of implementing specific actions. It is established that the semantic field of the phraseological units under consideration represents the physical actions and deeds of a person, the commission of specific actions by a person. On the contrary, phraseological units with a zoonym component reflecting the features of a person’s appearance, namely tall stature and large figure, are included in a low-frequency group of phraseological units, since external qualities are not a factor determining social success in Russian and Chinese cultures. Russian and Chinese phraseological units with the help of zoonymic components reflect the energy and stubbornness in the character of Russians, desire to work and altruism in the character of the Chinese. It is proved that phraseological units with a zoonym component, representing the specifics of human labor activity, are included in the category of highfrequency units and reflect fundamental differences in Russian and Chinese linguistic cultures. If the Chinese phraseological foundation, with the help of the zoonymic component, symbolizes numerous accents of human labor activity, including the representation of working conditions, quality of work, and adaptation to modern realities, then the Russian phraseological foundation typically has a dual attitude to work – from excessive workaholism to unwillingness to work and a moderate pace of duties’ performance. It is proved that phraseological units with zoonymic components of the thematic group “emotions and feelings” in Russian convey a wide range of feelings’ manifestations (fear, love, sympathy, dislike, etc.), while in the phraseological fund of the Chinese language, the zoonymic component reflects such feelings as grief and sadness. Russian and Chinese languages have different degrees of emotions and feelings expression dictated by the specifics of cultures – the emotionality and openness of Russians and the closeness when expressing emotions in public of the Chinese.
Keywords: phraseological unit, zoonym component, Russian phraseological fund, Chinese phraseological fund, thematic groups
References:
1. Alefirenko N.F. Frazeologiya v svete sovremennykh lingvisticheskikh paradigm [Phraseology in the Light of modern linguistic paradigms]. Moscow, Elpis Publ., 2008. 271 p. (in Russian).
2. Kovshova M.L. Lingvokul’turologicheskiy analiz idiom, zagadok, poslovits i pogovorok: antroponimicheskiy kod kul’tury [Linguistic and cultural analysis of idioms, riddles, proverbs and sayings: The Anthroponymic code of culture]. Moscow, Lenand Publ., 2024. 400 p. (in Russian).
3. Kovshova M.L. Lingvokul’turologicheskiy metod vo frazeologii. Kody kul’tury [The linguistic and cultural method in phraseology. Culture Codes]. Moscow, Lenand Publ., 2016. 400 p. (in Russian).
4. Elgeshina A.S. Natsional’no-kul’turnaya spetsifika frazeologizmov russkogo yazyka s komponentom-zoonimom [National and cultural specifics of Russian phraseological units with a zoonym component]. Nizhniy Novgorod, Avtor Publ., 2023. 62 p. (in Russian).
5. Felitsyna V.P., Mokienko V.M. Russkiye frazeologizmy. Lingvo-stranovedcheskiy slovar’ [Russian phraseological units. Linguistic and regional dictionary]. 1990. 224 p. (in Russian).
6. Voloshina T.G., Lazareva Ya.V., Kopytina N.N. Kul’turnaya sostavlyayushchaya v semantike ustoychivykh vyrazheniy [The cultural component in the semantics of stable expressions]. Vestnik Chelyabinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University, 2023. no. 5, pp. 74–79 (in Russian).
7. Voytsekhovich I.V. Prakticheskaya frazeologiya sovremennogo kitayskogo yazyka [Practical phraseology of the modern Chinese language]. Moscow, Vostok-Zapad Publ., 2007. 509 p. (in Russian).
8. Van S. Tipy frazeologicheskikh sootvetstviy v russkom i kitayskom yazykakh [Types of phraseological correspondences in Russian and Chinese]. Simvol nauki – Symbol of Science, 2016, no. 5, pp. 265–268 (in Russian).
9. Yuj V., Omel’chenko L.N. Tipy sootvetstviy russkikh i kitayskih frazeologizmov s komponentom “yazyk” [Types of correspondences of Russian and Chinese phraseological units with the “language” component]. Vestnik Buryatskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Yazyk. Literatura. Kul’tura, 2017, no. 4, pp. 16–21 (in Russian).
10. Van Ci. Informatsiya o kul’ture naroda v semantike ustoychivykh vyrazheniy s komponentom-fitonimom “sliva” i “dub” [Information about the culture of the people in the semantics of stable expressions with the phytonym component “plum” and “oak”]. Vestnik Chelyabinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Filologicheskiye nauki, 2022, no. 1, pp. 109–116 (in Russian).
11. Babanova S.Yu., Chernikova A.A. Sopostavitel’nyy analiz frazeologicheskikh edinits s imenami sobstvennymi v angliyskom i russkom yazykakh [Comparative Analysis of Phraseological Units with Proper Names in English and Russian]. Gumanitarnyy naucnyy vestnik – Humanitarian Scientific Bulletin, 2017, no. 3, pp. 29–37 (in Russian).
12. Il’yushchenko N.S. Sopostavitel’nyy analiz semnogo sostava frazeologicheskikh edinits v angliyskom i russkom yazykakh [Comparative analysis of the seminal composition of phraseological units in English and Russian]. Mezhdunarodnyy nauchno-issledovatel’skiy zhurnal – International Scientific Research Journal, 2016, no. 5 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18454/IRJ.2016.47.170
13. Sklyarova N.G. Internatsional’noye i natsional’noye v lingvokul’turakh (na materiale russkoy i angliyskoy frazeologii) [International and national in linguistic cultures (based on Russian and English phraseology)]. Moscow, INFRA-M Publ., 2022. 194 p. (in Russian).
14. Mikhaylova Yu.N., Chzhao I. Kul’turnyye konnotatsii zoonimov v russkoy i kitayskoy frazeologii [Cultural connotations of zoonyms in Russian and Chinese phraseology]. Izvestiya UrFU. Seriya 2. Gumanitarnye nauki – Izvestiya UrFU. Series 2. Humanities, 2016, no. 4, pp. 168–181 (in Russian).
15. Ma L. Tipy frazeologicheskikh edinits v russkom i kitayskom yazykakh [Types of phraseological units in Russian and Chinese]. Uchyonyye zapiski VGU im. P.M. Masherova, 2011, no. 12, pp. 198–204 (in Russian).
16. Vasil’yev A.I. Frazeologicheskiy slovar’ yazyka I.A. Bunina [I.A. Bunin’s phraseological dictionary of the language]. Yelets, Bunin Yelets State University Publ., 2011. 400 p. (in Russian).
17. Larionova Yu.A. Frazeologicheskiy slovar’ sovremennogo russkogo yazyka [Phraseological dictionary of modern Russian language]. Moscow, 2014, Adelant Publ., 512 p. (in Russian).
18. Kuznetsov S.A. Sovremennyy tolkovyy slovar’ russkogo yazyka. Glavnyy redaktor S.A. Kuznetsov [Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. Chief editor S.A. Kuznetsov]. Saint Petersburg, Norint Publ., 2005. 960 p. (in Russian).
19. 中国现代汉语语料库. URL: http://ccl.pku.edu.cn/. Natsional’nyy korpus sovremennogo kitayskogo yazyka [The National Corpus of Modern Chinese]. URL: http://ccl.pku.edu.cn/ (assessed 3 February 2025).
20. 汉语成语大词典. 北京：商务印书馆. 2014. 612 p. Bol’shoy frazeologicheskiy slovar’ kitayskogo yazyka [Large phraseological dictionary of the Chinese language]. Beijing, Commercial publishing house Publ., 2014.
21. 吴国华，杨喜昌. 文化语义学. 北京: 军事宜文出版社, 2000. 258 页. U Gohua, Yan Sichan [Wu Guohua, Yang Xichang]. Kul’turnaya semantika [Cultural semantics]. Beijing, Junshi Yiwen Publ., 2000. 258 p.
22. 分类汉语成语大词典》王勤, 马国凡主编, 济南: 山东教 育出版社, 1995. 1357 页. Bol’shoy slovar’ klassifitsirovannykh kitayskikh frazeologizmov pod redaktsiyey Van Cin’, Ma Gofan’ [A large dictionary of classified Chinese phraseological units edited by Wang Qin, Ma Guofan]. Jinan, The Shandong Enlightenment Publ., 1995. 1357 p.
23. 汉语成语大词典》朱祖延主编, 北京: 中华书局, 2012. 1551 页. Bol’shoy frazeologicheskiy slovar’ kitayskogo yazyka, pod redaktsiyey Chzhu Czuyan’ [A large phraseological dictionary of the Chinese language. Ed. Zhu Zuyan]. Beijing, Chinese Book Publ., 2012. 1551 p.
( 468.27 kB ) 
( 463.77 kB )
Issue: 3, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 3
Rubric: THEORETICAL AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Pages: 16 — 23
Downloads: 346