Metaphors about the Gaokao in China on WeChat: A Focus on the “Split Self” of Test-Takers
Friday 27 November 2026, 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Venue
BLN - Bowland Nth SR 17 - View MapOpen to
All Lancaster University (non-partner) students, Alumni, Applicants, External Organisations, Families and young people, Postgraduates, Prospective International Students, Prospective Postgraduate Students, Prospective Undergraduate Students, Public, Staff, UndergraduatesRegistration
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LUCC PhD seminar with Jiayue Yin
Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Thibodeau et al., 2019) and Forceville’s (1996) frameworks for visual metaphor analysis, this study aims to explore how Chinese people use metaphors to represent the National College Entrance Examination (known as the Gaokao) in public discourse on WeChat, one of the most widely used social media platforms in China. The dataset consists of 194 “articles” specifically related to the Gaokao drawn from WeChat public reading accounts between September 2021 and August 2025. In this talk, I will focus on discussing the “Split Self” (see Lakoff, 1996) of test-takers. My findings revealed how different source domains construct the relationships between two or more selves of test-takers in Gaokao discourse. The study contributes to understanding Chinese people’s metaphorical perceptions of high-stakes examinations in public discourse on Chinese social media.
Contact Details
| Name | Run Li |
| Website |