A comparative study of metaphorical cognition and cultural connotations of phraseological units with an animalistic component in English, Russian, and Chinese

Abstract

The article provides a cognitive-discursive and linguocultural analysis of zoomorphic phraseological units in English, Russian, and Chinese as a complex self-organizing system that intertwines universal mechanisms of conceptual metaphor and deeply specific national and cultural structures influenced by mythology, religious traditions, economic and practical experience, and philosophical paradigms of each ethnic group. The analysis reveals how animal images, fixed in stable idiomatic expressions, serve as a tool for understanding abstract qualities of human nature through specific, sensually perceived features, while demonstrating fundamental differences in the selection and evaluation of these features: if behavioral and socio-role characteristics associated with a pragmatic worldview, island geography prevail in English phraseology, While the Russian tradition emphasizes moral, moral, and emotionally expressive assessments rooted in Slavic mythology, Orthodox axiology, and the experience of the forest-steppe peasant way of life, the Chinese system is characterized by philosophical depth, hierarchy, and aestheticization, driven by Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and the ancient mythopoeic tradition, where animals are totemic ancestors. zodiac symbols and embodiments of cosmic harmony. Of particular importance is the identification of diametrically opposed connotations of identical zoonyms: the dragon, as the embodiment of imperial wisdom and fertility in the Chinese worldview, opposes the image of chaos and evil in European cultures; the dog symbolizes loyalty and good luck in the English tradition, but predominantly low status and malice in the Russian tradition; and the tiger, phoenix, crane, and turtle acquire status-symbolic and Taoist dimensions in the Chinese context that are absent in the other two linguistic cultures. By comparing the metaphorical models of «man as a predator», «man as a victim», «man as a worker», «man as a cunning person», and «man as a superior being», we can see how national value systems, such as pragmatic individualism, moral dualism between truth and falsehood, and Confucian harmony of hierarchy, are crystallized in stable linguistic forms. The study highlights the dynamic nature of phraseological semantics in the context of globalization, where the interpenetration of cultures leads to a partial transformation of connotations and the emergence of new contextual meanings, while preserving the core of archaic cultural memory. This approach opens up prospects for a more accurate understanding of the mechanisms of language consciousness formation, contributes to the development of comparative phraseology and cognitive linguistics, and provides a solid foundation for improving the effectiveness of intercultural communication, translation practice, and the formation of genuine linguistic and cultural competence in an era of intense interaction between Russian, English, and Chinese-speaking spaces, making this work a significant contribution to understanding how language serves as a repository and generator of national-specific worldviews.