Weiwanyu and Euphemism in Chinese Linguistics: The Problem of Definition and Conceptual Boundaries

Abstract

This article examines the history of research on euphemisms—委婉语 wěiwǎnyǔ as well as terminological difficulties and the cult­ural context of the phenomenon within Chinese linguistics. The Chi­nese euphemism is viewed not only as a linguistic trope but also as a socio-cultural phenomenon connected with taboos, social harmony, and the Confucian concept of 面子 miànzi (“face”).

The study demonstrates that in Western linguistics, euphemism is generally understood as the softened expression of a coarse or taboo subject, whereas in Chinese linguistics wěiwǎnyǔ is a considerably broader concept. It includes not only lexical substitution but also met­aphor, metonymy, allusion, symbolism, homonymy, homophony, and other stylistic strategies.

The novelty of this research lies in its integration of the histo­rical and definitional aspects of euphemism in Chinese. The paper ana­lyzes the evolution of theoretical thought from Chen Wangdao’s rhe­torical definitions of 婉曲 wǎnqǔ to Chen Yuan’s sociolinguistic approach, outlining the conceptual expansion of wěiwǎnyǔ as a ling­uistic and cultural category.