A semantic study of “heavy” and its corresponding Chinese word “zhong”

This paper aims to analyze the English adjective “heavy” and its corresponding word in Chinese, “zhong”, using the framework of lexical typology as suggested by François (2008). Through this article, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the various semantic meanings associated with “heavy” in English. These semantic meanings are derived from empirical observations and functional properties. Moreover, we compare these meanings with their corresponding counterparts in Chinese, revealing both similarities and differences with the word “zhong”. In the English language, “heavy” is connected to several senses, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary. It can refer to something weighing a lot, being worse than usual, not delicate when modifying, being thick as a material, being full of something, being large and powerful when modifying machines, being busy, or being involved in physically demanding work (heavy digging/lifting). Additionally, “heavy” can modify actions like “fall” or “hit”, describe a substantial amount of food, indicate excessive use, modify sounds, imply seriousness or difficulty, describe large bodies of water (e.g., sea/ocean), and pertain to weather conditions, air, and soil. Furthermore, it can connote strictness in certain contexts. Several of these meanings find parallels in the Chinese word “zhong”, such as referring to something that weighs a lot, modifying machines to signify size and power, relating to physically demanding work (e.g., heavy digging/lifting), describing the fall or impact of objects, indicating a substantial amount of food, or denoting seriousness or difficulty. Moreover, both “heavy” and “zhong” share the function of modifying actions related to drinking, smoking, or sleeping. However, it is important to note that in Chinese, alternative words like “chen” or “si” can also be used to express similar ideas.