| Acknowledgements | 第1-6页 |
| Abstract in Chinese | 第6-7页 |
| Abstract in English | 第7-9页 |
| Abbreviations | 第9-10页 |
| List of Tables and Figures | 第10-11页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第11-15页 |
| ·The Culture of Chinese Zodiacs | 第11-13页 |
| ·The Chinese Zodiac Expressions and Metaphor | 第13页 |
| ·Motives and Objectives of the Study | 第13-14页 |
| ·The Outline of the Study | 第14-15页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第15-23页 |
| ·The Study of the Culture of Chinese Zodiacs | 第15-17页 |
| ·The Study of Metaphor | 第17-23页 |
| ·An Overview of Metaphor Theories | 第17-18页 |
| ·The Study of Animal Metaphors | 第18-19页 |
| ·The Study of the Chinese-Zodiac based Metaphors | 第19-23页 |
| Chapter 3 The Analysis of Chinese-Zodiac based Metaphors | 第23-51页 |
| ·Research Design | 第23页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第23-24页 |
| ·Data Processing | 第24-25页 |
| ·The Analysis of C-Z based Metaphors | 第25-51页 |
| ·The Surface Analysis of C-Z based Metaphors | 第25-37页 |
| ·The Deep Analysis of C-Z based Metaphors | 第37-51页 |
| Chapter 4 The Functions of the Chinese-Zodiac based Metaphors | 第51-56页 |
| ·C-Z based Metaphors in Daily Life | 第51-52页 |
| ·The Functions of C-Z based Metaphors | 第52-56页 |
| ·The Communicative Functions of C-Z based Metaphors | 第52-53页 |
| ·The Cognitive Functions of C-Z based Metaphors | 第53-54页 |
| ·The Recreational Functions of C-Z based Metaphors | 第54-56页 |
| Chapter 5 Conclusion | 第56-58页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第56页 |
| ·Limitations | 第56-57页 |
| ·Suggestions for Further Researches | 第57-58页 |
| Bibliography | 第58-61页 |
| Appendix | 第61-68页 |
| Publications during the Postgraduate Program | 第68-69页 |
