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<p>Along the revolutionary ontological history of metaphor, this case study investigates the metaphor underpinning the theoretical discourse system of The Theory of Morality Capital and its specific interaction mechanisms. The overall findings are: the conceptual metaphor MORALITY IS CAPITAL, supporting this theory, possesses simultaneously two different interacting mechanisms between the source concept CAPITAL and the target concept MORALITY. One is the surface conventional metaphorical mapping mechanism in which the source CAPITAL is the basis for understanding the target MORALITY, and the other is the inner influencing mechanism in which the target MORALITY has the function of restraining, guiding, and coordinating the source CAPITAL. These two mechanisms motivate two sets of novel concept systems for supporting The Theory of Morality Capital, and at the same time provide two ways of understanding these emerging concepts. The present study designates this unique bidirectional interaction within the same conceptual metaphor as “the understanding-influencing interaction between CAPITAL and MORALITY”. By nature, it differs from the bidirectionality of metaphorical mapping discussed in the previous studies, which are based on two distinct interpretive grounds and undergo semantic shifts. These findings provide four implications for metaphor research and, in conjunction with the existing studies on bidirectional metaphorical mapping, may potentially pave the way for fostering another breakthrough understanding of metaphorical thinking in the future. Meanwhile, this study may offer insights into cognitive mechanisms for constructing an innovative theoretical discourse system in humanities and social sciences.</p>

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What happens to our thinking when morality marries with capital: another revolution of metaphor?

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月10日

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  • Xiaofang Wu,
  • Xiangqing Wei

摘要

Along the revolutionary ontological history of metaphor, this case study investigates the metaphor underpinning the theoretical discourse system of The Theory of Morality Capital and its specific interaction mechanisms. The overall findings are: the conceptual metaphor MORALITY IS CAPITAL, supporting this theory, possesses simultaneously two different interacting mechanisms between the source concept CAPITAL and the target concept MORALITY. One is the surface conventional metaphorical mapping mechanism in which the source CAPITAL is the basis for understanding the target MORALITY, and the other is the inner influencing mechanism in which the target MORALITY has the function of restraining, guiding, and coordinating the source CAPITAL. These two mechanisms motivate two sets of novel concept systems for supporting The Theory of Morality Capital, and at the same time provide two ways of understanding these emerging concepts. The present study designates this unique bidirectional interaction within the same conceptual metaphor as “the understanding-influencing interaction between CAPITAL and MORALITY”. By nature, it differs from the bidirectionality of metaphorical mapping discussed in the previous studies, which are based on two distinct interpretive grounds and undergo semantic shifts. These findings provide four implications for metaphor research and, in conjunction with the existing studies on bidirectional metaphorical mapping, may potentially pave the way for fostering another breakthrough understanding of metaphorical thinking in the future. Meanwhile, this study may offer insights into cognitive mechanisms for constructing an innovative theoretical discourse system in humanities and social sciences.