| Abstract |
The four-character “frame chunks” such as “…X1…X2” is a major feature of Chinese. It is a high-frequency construction widely used in Taiwan Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hakka language. Four-character frame chunks are semi-fixed frame structures that, when embedded, convey a “structural meaning” where the overall meaning is greater than the sum of the meanings of individual morphemes. The structure is highly productive. This article examines four-character frame chunks related to human body words, primarily sourced from Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka dictionaries compiled by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, with additional examples drawn from other corpora. The body-word frame chunks of “X1…X2…” and “…X1…X2”, along with their embedded words are analyzed using the theoretical frameworks of “cognitive metaphor”, “frame chunks” and “construction semantics”, with comparisons of their frame structures, collocation relationships, and semantic derivation. By identifying the structural regularities and semantic features of Chinese four-character chunks, this study offers significant contributions from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It advances the construction of Chinese vocabulary typology, and provides insights into developing pedagogical approaches for teaching Taiwanese native languages. |
