Estudio contrastivo de eufemismos y disfemismos del concepto “muerte” en español y chino

Résumé

In most cultures, death becomes the point of closure for existence, at least in terms of the physical or corporeal dimension. This moment of conclusion carries much pain for those conscious beings aware of their own mortality and the loss of loved ones, often leading to the avoidance of direct discussions on this topic, which has rendered death a taboo since ancient times. The euphemisms used in Chinese to refer to death bear a rich cultural significance, reflecting and revealing historical aspects, life experiences, objective knowledge, values, religious interpretations, and popular traditions of the Chinese people throughout their history. Similarly, in the Spanish language, a diverse array of expressions surrounding the concept of death is uncovered, serving as a subtle and poetic resource that softens the harshness of the inevitable reality. These euphemisms are genuine linguistic gems deserving of systematic and profound investigation. The current study focuses on the euphemisms and dysphemisms for death used in the Chinese and Spanish languages with the aim of exploring the sociocultural concepts upheld and transmitted by these two communities through them.