Abstract:
The Chinese character
you(有), with its different semantics and usages, has long been the concern in the field of linguistics, but the interpretation of its meanings and uses has seldom been made within the same model.Based on the subjectivity theory in cognitive grammar, the present study looks into the conceptual nature of
you from the perspective of subjectification, and proposes four points of view:(1) The meaning of "owning" is based on the meaning of "existing".It is a process of subjectifcation.(2) The usages of
wu(无)and
mei(没), the antonyms of
you, indicate that they have conceptual overlapping, but
wu tends to be the negation of "existing", while
mei tends to be that of "owning".(3) The conceptual overlapping between
wu and
mei probably uncloses the conceptual overlapping between "existing" and "owning".(4) The meanings of "existing" and "owning" form a continuum with construal of different degrees of subjectivity.The usages of
you can be also explained within this model.