Women in Chinese and Romanian proverbs— a cross-cultural analysis from the perspective of conceptual metaphor

Abstract

This study employs Conceptual Metaphor Theory to conduct a cross-cultural analysis of gendered proverbs in Chinese and Romanian societies. It argues that while both cultures utilize the Great Chain Metaphor to ontologically downgrade women, the specific source domains reflect distinct cultural imperatives. Chinese proverbs, profoundly shaped by Confucian ethics, emphasize internal virtue, chastity, and hierarchical loyalty. In contrast, Romanian proverbs, driven by agrarian pragmatism, focus on labor utility, physical control, and economic burden. This research demonstrates that despite divergent metaphorical imagery, both linguistic systems function identically to rationalize and cement the subordination of women within the patriarchal order.