COMPARATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE KEY LEXEMES-REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CONCEPTS “CITY” AND “VILLAGE” (ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN AND CHINESE DICTIONARIES)

Abstract

The article deals with the semantic volume of the key lexemes nominating to the concepts “city” and “village” which belong to the key concepts in different world cultures. The description of the conceptual component and the semantic potential of the lexemes “city” and “village” is carried out according to the defining dictionaries of Russian and Chinese languages. The research shows that the semantic volume of the lexemes “city” and “village” is marked with dissymmetry. The selection of the lexical meaning representing the opposition of the urban and non-urban areas in the Russian and Chinese languages turns out to be essential. Thus, the given lexemes in the Russian and Chinese languages contain similarities and differences, which come from historical, cultural and other peculiarities of Russia and China.