2005•Unpublished venueRequires access
Evolution of "peng"(朋) and "you"(友) in meaning
Wu Zhengrong
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Abstract
The original meaning of peng is a unit of collective quantity while that of you is to help each other . They gradually extend new meaning and then become synonyms because of peng referring to the same kind of people in the same group and you meaning people with same ambition and interests . Afterward , compared with peng and following it , you has developed a new meaning indicating two beasts stay together . The evolution of peng and you in meaning results from the interaction of inward and outward factors of language and reflects not only the complication of vocabulary system but also the primitive notion about friends-making .