Resumen de Cultural Factors in Semantic Extension: a Typological Perspective on Chinese Polysemy

Qiao Yun

• This article offers a typological approach to Chinese polysemy. Cultural factors are verified to have profound effects on propelling semantic extension mechanism, through analyzing multiple instances in Chinese and English. Chinese polysemy reveals abundant inherent individual characteristics, however in respect of semantic extension, it relates to many universals as well that are comprehensible to a large extent.