Reflecting the language of ancient civilizations: A diachronic transition of "爵" and contrastive analysis of Sino-Korean Chinese characters.

This study examines the historical and cultural significance of the Chinese character "爵" (jue), originally denoting a ceremonial Bronze Age wine vessel symbolizing authority and social status in ancient China, and traces its semantic evolution from ritual object to titles of nobility and official ranks. Using a cognitive linguistic approach, the research highlights how "爵" expanded in meaning through metaphor and metonymy, including its use as a verb and quantitative term, and how its form visually relates to the character for sparrow ("雀"). The study further compares the character's usage in Korean hanja, showing that while many Sino-Korean words retain meanings similar to Chinese, some have developed unique interpretations, especially in religious contexts influenced by Western culture. Overall, the analysis underscores the intertwined linguistic and cultural exchanges between China and Korea and the role of "爵" in reflecting social hierarchy, ritual practice, and language development within the East Asian Chinese character cultural sphere.