Image of River in Russian and Chinese Perceptions: Proverbs and Associations

Abstract

Russian and Chinese paremias with the component “river” (река / 河) that have not been previously described are considered from the perspective of a linguoculturological comparative study. Proverbs for which collections of paremias contain commentaries were selected, as some expressions may be incomprehensible to foreigners. The classification of the material is presented in the form of frames whose slots and sub-slots reflect the specific features of Russian and Chinese perceptions of reality. It has been revealed that the cultural attitudes recorded in Russian and Chinese proverbs with the component “river” exhibit more differences than similarities. It has been established that in Russian paremias, the river is closely connected with human life. In them, an individual is evaluated based on their qualities, social and family relationships; their dependence on external forces is represented. In Chinese proverbs, the life of a river is linked to the fundamentals of existence and the philosophical attitude of Chinese society towards life, which allows for forming a rational view of a person and their actions. An associative experiment conducted among native Russian and Chinese speakers using the stimulus word “river” revealed direct associations with the constituent parts of rivers and the names of famous rivers of both countries among respondents.