SEMANTIC FUNCTIONS OF THE NUMERAL “一” IN CHINESE CHENGYU

Lilit Akopyan; Asya Samvelyan

Lilit Akopyan PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Brusov State University, 0002, 42 Toumanyan, Yerevan, http://orcid.org/0009-0008-5690-3475
Asya Samvelyan Lecturer, Brusov State University, 0002, 42 Toumanyan, Yerevan, http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2988-1810

Abstract

Chinese chengyu (成语) carefully preserve echoes of ancient myths, literary plots, and historical events. A lack of familiarity with these cultural realities often leads to misunderstandings between interlocutors and, most importantly, complicates the process of communication. This article examines the semantic functions of the numeral “一” in Chinese chengyu. By analyzing a selected corpus of idiomatic expressions containing this numeral, the study seeks to identify and classify the main semantic patterns in which “一” operates to demonstrate how the numeral contributes to the formation and interpretation of idiomatic meaning. Such an analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the linguistic and semantic mechanisms underlying Chinese phraseology and may also provide useful insights for the teaching and interpretation of Chinese idiomatic expressions.

Keywords: Chinese chengyu, Chinese culture, semantic function, 一 (yī, “one”)