This study uses a documentary research method and an introspective approach, starting from Leech's theory of lexical meaning, to conduct a comparative study of the connotative, reflected meanings and emotional meaning of words in both English and Chinese languages. The study found that the main factors influencing the differences in their lexical meanings were related to the cognitive patterns behind the connotative meanings of the English, Chinese words and the culture of the speech community and the geographical and environmental information in the affective meanings of the English and Chinese words. The results have implications for intercultural communication, language teaching and the promotion of good Chinese traditional culture to the world.

English-Chinese vocabulary;Associative meaning;Comparative study;Semantic change factors

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DOI： https://doi.org/10.62639/sspjiss17.20250203

Published： 2025