SYSTEM OF EXPRESSING CULTURAL CONSTANTS IN RUSSIAN AND CHINESE CULTURES

Abstract

The article examines the representation of the cultural constant of “freedom” in Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita and Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West. Applying V.I. Karasik’s three-level model, the study provides a comparative analysis of the conceptual systems encoding this value, with a specific focus on the characters of the Master and Sun Wukong. Particular attention is paid to identifying culture-specific interpretations of the dialectic between individual freedom and social order. The analysis reveals a fundamental dichotomy: in Bulgakov’s work, transcendent freedom is achieved through a rupture with the world, whereas in Wu Cheng’en’s narrative, it is realized through integration into a universal cosmic order. The contrasting models of realizing freedom are analysed at the conceptual, figurative, and value levels. The author concludes that the study uncovers both universal and culture-specific mechanisms in the representation of this key cultural constant, thereby establishing fundamental differences between the Russian and Chinese worldviews.