A Study on the Relation Between Universality and Specificity of Metaphor in View of Analogical Metaphor

Analogical metaphor is a type of metaphor characteristic of the Chinese language.Analogical metaphor is realized by applying analogical thinking to its argumentation.The metaphor takes lei(class category) as its basis, and bi (analogy) as the fundamental metaphorical format so as to shape its two correspondent analogical parts.The metaphor takes the pair of propositional expressions as its linguistic carrier, and relies, as its theoretical grounds, on the idea of "the correspondence of the lei means the correspondence of the reasoning concerned", so as to establish the analogical reasoning framework of intuitive thought.In so doing, the reader of the metaphorical expression could infer the implied meaning, and come to the understanding of one event by another.The significance of the study of analogical metaphor is not only for the specificity of analogical metaphor itself, but more fundamentally, for looking at the relation between universality and specificity in view of the use of analogical metaphor, just because analogical metaphor is the manifestation of the universality of metaphor.The specificity of analogical metaphor is a special carrier of the universality, making the universality be seen in a way of sensibility through this channel.