METAPHORICAL MODELING OF THE IMAGE OF CHINA IN RUSSIAN MEDIA DISCOURSE (2014–2024): A CORPUS STUDY

Abstract

The article examines the metaphorical construction of China’s image in Russian media discourse from 2014 to 2024. A corpus analysis of over 47,000 publications in federal and regional media revealed systematic shifts in metaphorical models of China’s representation, reflecting the evolution of bilateral relations from a pragmatic partnership to a strategic alliance. Dominant metaphorical schemes – anthropomorphic, spatial, zoomorphic, and naturmorphic – have consistently transformed from ambivalent images to predominantly positive connotations. The developed method for extracting metaphorical contexts followed by semantic tagging enabled quantitative verification of qualitative observations and the identification of correlations between foreign policy events and discursive practices. It is concluded that the metaphorical modeling of a foreign policy actor’s image results from the interaction of official ideological guidelines, professional media practices, and deep cultural codes of perception.