面子作为隐喻

Face as a Metaphor

“爱面子”被视为中国人心理与行为的最重要特征,在文人学者那里有一定的共识,在研究者那里却莫衷一是。究其原因,主要在于前者停留于社会观察,而后者期望以学科研究得到结论。可是,面子研究的难点不在其描绘与实证方面,而在以何种途径获得理解方面。据此,本文认为,理解中国人的脸面观需要从隐喻入手进行分析,因为它曾在中国历史上与“礼”深度融合,是一个将生理学的面孔隐喻为某种行为方式,又转换到其外在物化的过程。当然,在隐喻方面,极具影响力的拟剧论以舞台表演作为分析框架,对研究脸面的运作具有重要启发,但却不意味着面子研究就此迎刃而解。中国人的面子隐喻,只有在自己的文化脉络、语境及其日常用语中才能获得真正的认识,并在同拟剧论的对话中获得理论性提升。

Face-saving is the most important psychological and behavioral character of the Chinese people.This has been widely agreed upon among men of letters,but not so among researchers.This is because the former are focused on social observations,whereas the latter seek to reach conclusions through disciplinary methods.However,the challenge of studying the Chinese conception of face lies not in observation and empirical research,but in achieving a comprehensive understanding of the conception.This paper argues that a true understanding of the Chinese conception of face can start with metaphor analysis,in which the face is found to be intricately intertwined with rituals and progresses from specific bodily expressions to metaphoric representations of certain behaviors and eventually to external manifestations in Chinese history.In pertinence to metaphor,there exists a highly influential dramaturgical theory that offers a insightful analytical framework for studying the conception of face,but it does not mean that the question is solved for good,since a true comprehension of the Chinese metaphor of face can only be achieved within Chinese cultural context and daily language usage,and improved through dialogue with dramaturgical theory.