LINGUISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CONCEPT «DREAM» AS THE CORE OF THE VALUE SYSTEMS IN CHINESE AND JAPANESE LINGUACULTURES

Abstract

Currently, the Russian government is focused on overcoming economic difficulties and diplomatic isolation since the start of the conflict in Ukraine by implementing the “Pivot to the East” strategy. The level of political relations between Russia and China in 2023 is defined by protocol meetings of the heads of states. However, cultural and social differences between European and Russian mentalities may hinder a shift in thinking towards an Asian mindset or the Russian pivot to the East may restrain a sustainable desire for Europe. China’s claims to a significant role in the modern world order are determined by the concept of forming socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new civilization, based on the individual and collective ideas of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The national values of future China as a new form of human civilization are embedded in the concept of the “Chinese Dream” as the country’s main ideological and political course. Why, then, has Russia made a strategic choice in favor of China, rather than Japan, in the pivot to the East? The interstate contradictions between Russia and Japan have been nullified due to the Japanese government joining anti-Russian sanctions and ongoing territorial disputes. Therefore, the Eastward vector excludes Japan from the list of reliable partners in modern geopolitical realities. Does Japan articulate its national strategy and formulate it as a national dream to define its geopolitical ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region? The article explores the linguistic representations of the national concept “Dream” (“Chinese Dream” and “Japanese Dream”) as the core of the value system in Chinese and Japanese lingua-cultural contexts.