A Comparative Study of the Cultural Meanings of the Twelve Zodiac Animals in Chinese and Thai Idioms

Abstract

          This study aims to comparatively investigate the cultural meanings of the twelve zodiac animals as reflected in Chinese and Thai idioms. The analysis is conducted through the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory to examine their implicit meanings and to classify their emotional connotations. The data were collected through purposive sampling from books, dictionaries, and reliable online sources, yielding a total of 231 idioms. The findings reveal that ten animals share both similar and different cultural meanings, while two animals exhibit completely different meanings across the two languages. Chinese idioms demonstrate a greater diversity of cultural meanings than Thai idioms. When classified by emotional connotation, the idioms can be divided into five categories, ranging from those encompassing positive, neutral, and negative meanings, such as the rooster, rat, horse, and ox, to those sharing exclusively negative, such as the snake and pig. Furthermore, the results indicate that negative connotations are the most prevalent, followed by positive and neutral meanings. In Chinese, the proportions are 50.36%, 41.37%, and 7.91%, respectively, while in Thai they are 79.35%, 13.04%, and 7.61%. These findings suggest that Thai idioms contain a higher proportion of negative meanings compared to Chinese idioms, whereas Chinese idioms tend to convey more positive meanings than Thai ones. Such differences reflect the distinct cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values, and cognitive systems of each society. Chinese idioms often employ animals and homophonic expressions as symbols to convey auspicious meanings, whereas Thai idioms are more frequently used to express negative traits or undesirable human behaviors. This study highlights the close relationship between language and culture and demonstrates how understanding this relationship can enhance effective communication.