Distributional Features and Discourse Functions of Conceptual Metaphors in Chinese Foreign Ministry Discourse

Abstract

Conceptual metaphor theory, as originally proposed by Lakoff and Johnson, has become a foundational framework in cognitive linguistics for understanding how abstract political concepts are constructed and communicated through figurative language. Drawing on this theoretical foundation, the present study systematically investigates the distributional features and discourse functions of conceptual metaphors employed in Chinese foreign ministry discourse. A specialized corpus was compiled from the responses delivered by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at 297 regular press conferences held between September 2022 and August 2025. Employing AntConc corpus retrieval software in conjunction with the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP), the study conducted a rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis of metaphor usage patterns, issue-specific variation, and underlying discourse functions. A total of 2,629 metaphorical expressions were identified, yielding a frequency of 116.5 per 10,000 words. Structural metaphors were found to account for 77.2 percent of all instances, with conflict, building, journey, body, and family constituting the five predominant source domains. Notably, metaphor selection exhibited a marked sensitivity to issue type: conflict metaphors clustered predominantly in confrontational diplomatic issues, whereas journey and building metaphors were most prevalent in developmental and cooperative contexts. The differentiated discourse functions of these metaphors collectively contribute to the construction of a composite national image, portraying China as a fellow traveler committed to peaceful development, a builder of win-win cooperation, a steadfast defender of state authority and security, and a partner bound by a shared future. These findings offer valuable insights into the strategic deployment of figurative language in contemporary diplomatic communication.