| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| Abstract (English) | 第5-6页 |
| Abstract (Chinese) | 第6-10页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第10-12页 |
| Chapter 2 An overview of studies in children's metaphors | 第12-30页 |
| ·Introduction | 第12-13页 |
| ·Researches on preschoolers' early metaphors in spontaneous speech | 第13-16页 |
| ·Researches and experimental studies of preschoolers' metaphors | 第16-20页 |
| ·Studies on Metaphoric competence | 第20-30页 |
| ·Studies on metaphoric comprehension ability | 第21-26页 |
| ·Interior factors affecting metaphoric comprehension | 第23-25页 |
| ·Exterior factors affecting metaphoric comprehension | 第25-26页 |
| ·Studies on metaphoric production ability | 第26-30页 |
| ·The empirical studies on development of metaphoric production | 第26-27页 |
| ·Studies on acquisition of metaphoric production competence | 第27-30页 |
| Chapter 3 A Survey on Chinese preschoolers' early metaphors and metaphoric competence | 第30-55页 |
| ·Introduction | 第30-31页 |
| ·Research aims and hypotheses | 第31-32页 |
| ·Research aims | 第31-32页 |
| ·Research hypotheses | 第32页 |
| ·Research method | 第32-38页 |
| ·Subjects | 第32-33页 |
| ·Survey design | 第33-34页 |
| ·Materials | 第34-37页 |
| ·Procedures | 第37-38页 |
| ·Results | 第38-42页 |
| ·The words matching part (hypotheses one and two) | 第38-39页 |
| ·Conversation part (hypothesis one) | 第39-40页 |
| ·The renaming part (hypotheses three and four) | 第40-42页 |
| ·Analysis | 第42-55页 |
| ·The metaphoric competence of preschool children | 第42-47页 |
| ·The helpful effect of pictures on metaphoric comprehension | 第47-48页 |
| ·Different kinds of metaphors preschoolers produce | 第48-52页 |
| ·The "literal stage" and its influence on preschoolers' metaphoric production and comprehension | 第52-55页 |
| Chapter 4 Conclusion | 第55-59页 |
| Bibliography | 第59-61页 |
