Chapter One Introduction
1.1 Statement of Purpose
Jixiang (auspiciousness) is a phenomenon of the Chinese culture which originates in the native habits and customs. The word Jixiang (auspiciousness) is derived from Zhuang Zi of the Spring and Autumn periods. “If the spirit is empty and calm, all is well.” Cheng Xuanying of the Tang Dynasty gave the explanations: “Ji” means good deeds; “Xiang” is an indication of happiness.”（ 蓝先琳 et al. 2004）.This is the earliest definition of the word Jixiang (auspiciousness). The connotation of the auspicious culture has developed with the extension of history through ages. Happiness praying, moral principles, to drive out evil spirits and to destroy calamities are social functions of Chinese propitious culture. Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi, Cai, interrelating and interdependent with individuality auspicious theme, stand at the core of the propitious culture. Fu stands at the very heart of Chinese auspicious culture. Evolving from Fu, Lu has the connotation of pursuing fame and social status. Language is a social cultural phenomenon and a product of social and cultural development. Different languages in different nations record and reflect specific cultures. Both the role which language plays in a culture and the influence that the culture makes on the meanings of words and idioms are so pervasive that hardly any text can be adequately understood without taking a careful consideration of its cultural background. Thus this paper intends to do some research on the Chinese word of “Lu” from the perspective of linguistics.
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1.2 History and Background of the Problem
As an important branch of the Chinese auspicious culture, the Chinese word of “Lu” often appears in the sayings, artistic products, or the everyday communications from the past to the present day, in mainland China, or the other part of the world where there is Chinese people living. For instance, the Chinese word of “Lu” is often seen in paintings or paper-cuttings, on the wall, at the gate of a house or on the various kinds of porcelains including bowls, jars, vases, etc. and many idioms or expressions. In this way, the translation of the word or the idioms with it can also be found in many Chinese-English dictionaries and books while they are mostly translated by the Chinese without much feedback from the target readers, or the English native speakers. Still there is little systematic research on this cultural-specific word of “Lu” about the missing meanings or the translation equivalence from the linguistic perspective up to now. Chinese people’s understanding of Lu is reflected in the use of language. Profound cultural foundation is hidden among the specific expressions. According to Shuo Wen Jie Zi (Explanation of Chinese Characters), Lu is equivalent to Fu. During Shang and Zhou periods, to receive royal titles was considered as Fu; to receive King’s favors was considered as “Lu”. In feudal society, people with the higher royal positions earned higher salary, therefore came the saying “High office and high Lu (pay)”高 gao(1)官 guan(1)厚 hou(4)禄 lu(4).(蓝先琳，et al. 2004). To obtain an inheritable royal position was almost every scholar’s dream. So the two main themes of Lu cul
