| 摘要 | 第5-6页 |
| Abstract | 第6页 |
| Contents | 第7-9页 |
| List of figures | 第9-10页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第10-15页 |
| 1.1 Back ground of metaphor study of orientational nouns "qian/hou" | 第11页 |
| 1.2 Literature review of this study | 第11-13页 |
| 1.3 Significance of the study | 第13-15页 |
| Chapter 2 Theoretical framework of the study: orientational metaphor | 第15-17页 |
| 2.1 Orientational metaphor | 第15页 |
| 2.2 Metaphorical mechanism | 第15-16页 |
| 2.3 Copus-based approach | 第16-17页 |
| Chapter 3 Original meanings of “qian/hou” in space domain | 第17-21页 |
| 3.1 "Qian" in space domain | 第17-19页 |
| 3.2 "Hou" in space domain | 第19-21页 |
| Chapter 4 Metaphor of "qian/hou" in Chinese | 第21-35页 |
| 4.1 Metaphor of “qian/hou” in time domain | 第21-28页 |
| 4.1.1 PAST IS “QIAN”, FUTURE IS “HOU” | 第21-24页 |
| 4.1.2 FUTURE IS “QIAN”, PAST IS “HOU” | 第24-26页 |
| 4.1.3 NOW IS “QIAN” | 第26-27页 |
| 4.1.4 Conclustion | 第27-28页 |
| 4.2 Metaphor of "qian/hou" in other domains | 第28-35页 |
| 4.2.1 HIGHER POSITION IS “QIAN” and LOWER POSITION IS “HOU” | 第28-29页 |
| 4.2.2 ADVANCED IS “QIAN”, DISAPPOTING IS “HOU” | 第29-30页 |
| 4.2.3 OUTWARD IS “QIAN”, INWARD and SECRETARY IS “HOU” | 第30-31页 |
| 4.2.4 BRAVE IS “QIAN”, TIMID IS “HOU” | 第31-32页 |
| 4.2.5 IMPORTANT IS “QIAN”, SECONDARY OR IGNORANT IS “HOU” | 第32-33页 |
| 4.2.6 FRONTLINE IS “QIAN”, BASE IS “HOU” | 第33-35页 |
| Chapter 5 Rules of metaphors of “qian/hou” | 第35-37页 |
| 5.1 “Qian” indicates optimistic, “hou” indicates negative | 第35页 |
| 5.2 Basis of orientational metaphors of “qian/hou” | 第35-36页 |
| 5.3 Metaphor of “qian/hou” and cultural coherence | 第36-37页 |
| Conclusion | 第37-39页 |
| References | 第39-42页 |
| Appendix 详细中文摘要 | 第42-45页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第45页 |
