From Bodily Simulation to Expansion: Embodied Metaphorical Construction in the Climactic Sections of Chinese Animated Films

Xiangying Chen

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia & Zaozhuang University, Shandong, China

Nur Zaidi Azraai

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Under the paradigm of embodiment, this study proposes that the analysis of Chinese animated films can transcend objective investigation anchored in geopolitical context, which is the mainstay of international academic research in the field, instead focusing on the dynamic interaction of animated interface with audiences, that is, the vibrant embodied coupling within internal landscapes. Specifically, this study implements textual analysis on several typical cases, re-evaluating the mechanism of meaning construction in Chinese animated films based on the theories of “haptic visuality” and “conceptual metaphor”. This refers to that within Chinese animated films, animated techniques has the capacity to construct metaphors for abstract concepts by simulating and evoking the audience’s familiar bodily experiences. Moreover, Chinese animated films could also leverage the medium-specificity to extend embodied representations into non-human domains, thereby crafting intricate meanings through the infiltration and expansion of the audience’s sensory boundaries. It is crucial to underscore that these embodied metaphorical strategies are primarily deployed during impactful and thematically significant climactic moments, thus constituting essential elements within the overarching narrative. The authors posit that investigating these expressive mechanisms can contribute to the research diversity and supra-typological artistic practices within the realm of Chinese animated films.

Chinese Animated Films; Embodiment; Metaphor; Haptic Visuality; Conceptual Metaphor; Perceptual Expansion