Metaphor and Meaning

Thinking Through Early China with Sarah Allan

Constance A. Cook, Christopher J. Foster, Susan Blader , William Nelson French

$75.95 $64.46

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

State University of New York Press
02 January 2025

Literature: history & criticism; Asian history; Archaeology; Oriental & Indian philosophy; Taoism

Series: SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture

Examines questions of cosmos, society, and self through the metaphors and language of ancient Chinese texts and artifacts.

In Metaphor and Meaning, scholars from China, the United States, and Europe draw on Sarah Allan's groundbreaking application of conceptual metaphor theory to the study of early Chinese philosophy and material culture. Conceptual metaphor theory treats metaphors not just as linguistic expressions but as fundamental structures of thought that define one's conceptual system and perception of reality. To understand another culture's worldview, then, hinges upon identifying the right metaphors, through which it then becomes possible to navigate between shared and unshared experiences. The contributors pursue lines of argument that complement, enhance, or challenge Allan's prior investigations into these root metaphors of early Chinese philosophy, whether by explicitly engaging with conceptual metaphor theory or, more indirectly, by addressing meaning construction in a broader sense. Like Allan's interpretative works, Metaphor and Meaning interrogates both transmitted traditions and newly unearthed archaeological finds to understand how people in early China thought about the cosmos, society, and themselves.

Edited by: Constance A. Cook, Christopher J. Foster, Susan Blader
Associate editor: William Nelson French
Assisted by: Patten Gail
Imprint: State University of New York Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 372g
ISBN: 9781438498317
ISBN 10: 1438498314
Series: SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 02 January 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Constance A. Cook is Professor of Chinese at Lehigh University, Christopher J. Foster is an independent scholar, and Susan Blader is Associate Professor Emerita of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures at Dartmouth College. Together they are also the coeditors of Myth and the Making of History: Narrating Early China with Sarah Allan and Bone, Bronze, and Bamboo: Unearthing Early China with Sarah Allan, both published by SUNY Press.

Reviews for Metaphor and Meaning: Thinking Through Early China with Sarah Allan

""…this is an eclectic selection of articles by a number of good scholars. The wide range of the topics is itself a testament to how wide-ranging Allan's research has been and continues to be."" — Journal of Chinese History ""Metaphor and Meaning speaks to important issues regarding the nature of religious belief, political philosophy, food and ritual, and other issues that are of high importance in understanding the history of early China. While the essays address different aspects of thought and culture from Chinese sources, they share a common interest in uncovering early worldviews, and use complementary methodologies in interpreting early sources. Their placement in a single volume offers the reader a rare opportunity to see in proximity important examples of research that speak to a common set of questions as well as diverse but complementary research approaches."" — Shana J. Brown, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa