A Semantic Comparison of the “V + 出” Construction in Chinese and the “V + ra” Construction in Vietnamese

Abstract

The directional constructions “V+出” in Chinese and “V+ra” in Vietnamese are widely employed and semantically rich. Originating from their fundamental spatial meaning—denoting outward movement—these constructions have extended into abstract semantic domains such as resultative and stative expressions. This study utilizes descriptive, comparative, and analytical methodologies to examine the semantic features of the Chinese construction “V+出” and juxtapose them with its Vietnamese counterpart “V+ra.” Framed within construction grammar and cognitive linguistics, the research aims to elucidate both the convergences and divergences in semantic representation between the two languages.