A constructional approach to conceptual metaphor : The case ofCOMPLETION IS UP in Chinese

In this paper, we discuss the relation between conceptual metaphor, conceptual archetype and subjectivity. We start by examining the polysemy of shang in Chinese, given the working of COMPLETION IS UP on its semantics. Based on corpus data, we sketch a possible route of semantic extension and argue that the synchronic distribution of shang is symptomatic of semantic attenuation. We also propose an image-schematic structure for each of the relevant senses of shang identified. With such analysis, we identify VERTICAL ELEVATION and CONTACT as two important conceptual archetypes that may help us understand the semantic extension and how COMPLETION IS UP is actually at work in the semantics of shang.