A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTUAL STRUCTURES OF “HEART” IN RUSSIAN AND CHINESE

Abstract

. The article analyzes the core concepts “heart” in Russian and Chinese cultures. As the center of human physiological and spiritual activities, the concept “heart” embodies the anthropocentrism of language to a great extent. According to the theory of cross-cultural communication, concept has a complex multi-level structure. On one hand, the author discusses cultural concept and its structure. On the other hand, taking cultural concepts “heart” in Russian and Chinese as an example, the paper explores the concrete interpretation process, analyze and compare their etymologies, dictionary definitions and gestalts, point out the similarities and differences between them. The researcher tries to find the proof that cultural concepts are influenced by ethical cultures. From the results of analysis, the author draws the conclusion that cultural concepts “heart” in Russian and Chinese have different structures, which reflect characteristics of ethical cultures.