Semantic Classification and Category Expansion of “Qing X” in Modern Chinese

Abstract

Based on the statistics of the headlines of the People’s Daily Online in the past 10 years, we find that the category of the “Qing X” can be divided into five semantic classes, each of which is based on the prototype meaning and gradually expands into the category of “Qing X” in comparison and generalization. The semantic extension model of the “Qing X” category is similar to the extended pattern of polysemous words, which extends based on the family resemblance. And the category of “Qing X” is open, which means the number of members is expanding.