Since people in all cultures develop the first and most striking understanding of themselves, they have much more knowledge of human beings than of other things. It is natural for Chinese people to understand other things in terms of humans and thus map human features, actions and behaviours onto other nonhuman things. When the nonhumans are expressed in human terms, a metaphorical sentence results.

1. Animals Personified

As in the English culture, Chinese people also find it easy and convenient to map human beings on their animal cousins. They project the knowledge of humans on their closest neighbours. Thus animals adopt human features, behaviours and actions. For example:

(1）顽皮的海豚掀翻了他们的独木舟。

(2）油蛉在这里低唱，蟋蟀在这里弹琴。

(3）金蝉操琴蝴蝶舞，青蛙蝈蝈打锣鼓。

In the examples above, animals are modeled on human beings and expressed as such. Therefore, the animals can act and behave as people do. In (1), the naughty dolphin can turn over the canoe as if it had hands as human beings do. In (2), the sand flies can sing and the crickets can play musical instruments. In (3), the golden cicada can play the musical instruments, butterflies can dance, and frogs and longhorn grasshoppers can beat drums. All these animal Subjects do things that are usually done by human beings.

2. Plants Personified

In English, plants can take human beings as their prototypes, so can plants in Chinese. For example:

（4）遍地谷子黄又黄，吊吊足有一尺长，羞羞答答低着头，怕人说他是高粱。

（5）桃树、杏树、梨树，你不让我，我不让你，都开满了花赶趟儿。

（6）牵牛花只知道有清晨，不知道有炎昼和黑夜。

（7）那高大强壮油光发亮的橡皮树，垂头丧气，危在旦夕。

Here, plants are modeled on human beings. Since they are personified, they adopt human features and actions. Therefore, the millet in (4) is shy and so lowers its head. The peach, almond and pear trees in (5) do not yield to one another as if they had consciousness. The morning glory in (6) knows that there are mornings but it does not know that there are days and nights. In (7), the balatas lower their heads and lose their spirits.

3. Objects Personified

Inanimate objects in Chinese are often considered as persons as in English, so they share human motivations, characteristics, and activities. Here are some examples:

(8）在山谷深处，丛林遮住的地方，两条年轻的小径胆怯地接吻。

(9）刺骨的山风忽地闯进来，打转身又出去，出出进进由着意窜，一点也不客气。

(10）血雨腥风里，毛竹青了又黄，黄了又青，不向残暴低头，不向敌人弯腰。

(11）一捆捆的稿纸从屋角里的两只麻袋中探头探脑地露出脸来。

In each of these sentences, Chinese people are seeing something nonhuman as human. In (8), since the two new paths are personified, they can kiss each other shyly. Similarly in (9), the piercing wind is experienced as a person, so it can rush in, turn round and go out once and again impolitely. In (10), the bamboos are considered as humans and hence described as not being willing to bend their heads to the violence or to bend their bodies to the enemies. In (11), the papers are personified, so they can pop their heads out and show their faces.

4. Abstracts Personified

When abstracts are expressed in English, they have to be concretized first in the mind. Only after the mind admits that there is such a thing can it be referred to, talked about, qualified, quantified and modified. It is the same in Chinese. In the following sentences, abstracts are personified:

（12）科技是排头兵。

（13）医疗费用有望走“下坡路”。

（14）理想主义隐退到社会主义的边缘。

（15）这里叫教条主义休息，有些同志却叫它起床。

In all the examples above, the abstract concepts are considered as human beings, so science and technology can be soldiers at the head of a formation, fees for medical service can walk downward, idealism can withdraw and live in seclusion, and dogmatism can take a rest or get up.

5. Facts and Events Personified

As in English, facts and events can also be personified in Chinese. For example:

（16）您的出席，帮了我们大忙。

（17）这位大科学家对我们的评价，给了我们很大鼓舞。

In the two examples, facts and events are personified, so one can help and the other can give us encouragement.

It should be noted that such sentences, though somewhat westernized, are used more and more frequently in Chinese under the influence of foreign languages.

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