我们一直声称隐喻部分建构了我们日常生活中的概念，这种建构反映在我们平时的字面语言中。在我们得出以上论断的哲学意义的大致图景前，我们还需要一些例证。下面的每一组例子，我们都会给出一种隐喻，并列出在此种隐喻概念下的一系列特殊表达。下面的英语表达有两种：简单的字面表达以及符合该隐喻概念的成语。这些成语都是我们在日常生活中的常用语。

理论（和论点）是建筑

• 这就是你理论的基础吗？ Is that the foundation for your theory?
• 这个理论需要更多的论点支持。 The theory needs more support.
• 这个论据站不住脚。 The argument is shaky.
• 我们需要更多的事实论证，否则这个论点就不成立。 We need some more facts or the argument will fall apart.
• 我们需要构建一个更有力的论据。 We need to construct a strong argument for that.
• 我还没看清这个论点会发展成什么样子。 I haven't figured out yet what the form of the argument will be.
• 这些事实可以支撑这个理论。 Here are some more facts to shore up the theory.
• 我们需要确凿的论据来支持这个理论。 We need to buttress the theory with solid arguments.
• 理论成立与否取决于论据的有力度。 The theory will stand or fall on the strength of that argument.
• 论点坍塌了。 The argument collapsed.
• 他们轰倒了他的最新理论。 They exploded his latest theory.
• 我们将证明那个理论毫无根据。 We will show that theory to be without foundation.
• 目前为止我们只是将理论框架拼凑在一起。 So far we have put together only the framework of the theory.

想法是食物

• 他的话让我满口恶心 What he said left a bad taste in my mouth.
• 整篇论文充斥着未经考证的事实，不成熟的想法和陈腐的理论。 All this paper has in it are raw facts, half-baked ideas, and warmed-over theories.
• 有太多的事实需要我去消化 There are too many facts here for me to digest them all.
• 我只是无法囫囵咽下这一结论 I just can't swallow that claim.
• 这个论据不是味儿 That argument smells fishy.
• 让我先**斜酌（stew）**一会儿 Let me stew over that for a while.
• 终于有个可以让你全身心投入去论证的理论了 Now there's a theory you can really sink your teeth into.
• 那个想法我们还得让它滤一滤 We need to let that idea percolate for a while.
• 那是精神食粮 That's food for thought.
• 他读书如饥似渴 He's a voracious reader.
• 我们无须把知识一勺一勺地喂给学生 We don't need to spoon-feed our students.
• 他贪婪地读这本书 He devoured the book.
• 让我们先把那个想法放一放，让它再酝酿一下 Let's let that idea simmer on the back burner for a while.
• 这是这篇论文最有味道的地方 This is the meaty part of the paper.
• 让那个想法再凝固成型一会儿 Let that idea jell for a while.
• 这个主意已酿多年 That idea has been fermenting for years.

从生死角度而言，“想法是有机体”，或“是人”，或“是植物”。

想法即人

• 相对论促成了物理界不少想法的诞生 The theory of relativity gave birth to an enormous number of ideas in physics.
• 他是现代生物学之父 He is the father of modern biology.
• 这是谁的思想结晶？ Whose brainchild was that?
• 看看他的想法生出了（spawned）些啥 Look at what his ideas have spawned.
• 那些想法在中世纪时就死绝了。 Those ideas died off in the Middle Ages.
• 他的想法将不断流传下去 His ideas will live on forever.
• 认知心理学仍处于婴儿期 Cognitive psychology is still in its infancy.
• 这个观点应该再次被复活 That's an idea that ought to be resurrected.
• 你从哪儿萌生的那个想法？ Where'd you dig up that idea?
• 他往那个想法里注入新生命 He breathed new life into that idea.

想法是植物

• 他的想法终于结成果实 His ideas have finally come to fruition.
• 那个想法枯死藤上了 That idea died on the vine.
• 这个理论还在萌芽期 That's a budding theory.
• 这个理论还要些时间才能成熟 It will take years for that idea to come to full flower.
• 他视化学为物理学的分支 He views chemistry as a mere offshoot of physics.
• 数学有很多分支 Mathematics has many branches.
• 他伟大的想法播种于年少之时 The seeds of his great ideas were planted in his youth.
• 她想象力丰富 She has a fertile imagination.
• 我要把这个观点根植于你的脑海里 Here's an idea that I'd like to plant in your mind.
• 他的脑子一片荒芜 He has a barren mind.

想法是产品

• 我们还真是琢磨出新主意了啊 We're really turning (churning, cranking, grinding) out new ideas.
• 这一周我们产生了不少新想法 We've generated a lot of ideas this week.
• 他生产新主意的速度真是让人震惊 He produces new ideas at an astounding rate.
• 他的智力生产力近年衰退了 His intellectual productivity has decreased in recent years.
• 这个想法需要被琢磨打滑，去粗存精 We need to take the rough edges off that idea, hone it down, smooth it out.
• 想法还很粗糙，需要凝练 It's a rough idea; it needs to be refined.

想法是商品

• 包装你的想法非常重要 It's important how you package your ideas.
• 他不买账 He won't buy that.
• 这个想法没人要 That idea just won't sell.
• 好想法总能找到市场 There is always a market for good ideas.
• 这个想法毫无价值 That's a worthless idea.
• 他的好主意源源不断 He's been a source of valuable ideas.
• 这想法一文不值 I wouldn't give a pLugged nickel for that idea.
• 你的想法一点市场部没有 Your ideas don't have a chance in the intellectual marketplace.

想法是资源

• 他思维枯竭了 He ran out of ideas.
• 别在小课题上浪费思想 Don't waste your thoughts on small projects.
• 让我们集思广益 Let's pool our ideas.
• 他主意特多 He's a resourceful man.
• 我们的主意都用完了 We've used up all our ideas.
• 这主意没用 That's a useless idea.
• 这主意不错 That idea will go a long way.

想法是金钱

• 让我陈述下我廉价的想法 Let me put in my two cents' worth.
• 他想法颇多（良多） He's rich in ideas.
• 那本书是一个思想宝库 That book is a treasure trove of ideas.
• 他极富想法 He has a wealth of ideas.

想法是切削工具（CUTTING INSTRUMENTS）

• 那想法够犀利 That's an incisive idea.
• 那（话）深中肯綮 That cuts right to the heart of the matter.
• 那（话）太尖刻了 That was a cutting remark.
• 他（说话）很尖锐 He's sharp.
• 他锋利机智 He has a razor wit.
• 他头脑敏锐 He has a keen mind.
• 她把他的论点批得体无完肤 She cut his argument to ribbons.

想法是时尚

• 那想法早几年前就落伍了 That idea went out of style years ago.
• 我听说最近社会生物学很流行啊 I hear sociobiology is in these days.
• 最近西欧很时兴马克思主义 Marxism is currently fashionable in western Europe.
• 那主意太老套了！ That idea is old hat!
• 那想法太过时了 That's an outdated idea.
• 英语批评界的新动向是什么？ What are the new trends in English criticism?
• 老观念在现今社会已没有市场啦 Old-fashioned notions have no place in today' s society.
• 他常读《纽约书评》以跟上时代步伐 He keeps up-to-date by reading the New York Review of Books.
• 伯克利堪称前卫思潮中心 Berkeley is a center of avant-garde thought.
• 符号学正当时髦 Semiotics has become quite chic.
• 革命思潮在美国已经不时兴啦 The idea of revolution is no longer in vogue in the United States.
• 20 世纪 60 年代中叶，转换语法风靡美国，也刚传到欧洲 The transformational grammar craze hit the United States in the mid-sixties and has just made it to Europe.

理解是看见，想法是光源，话语是光媒介

• 我明白（see）你在说什么了 I see what you're saying.
• 在我看来它是不一样的 It Looks different from my point of view.
• 你有什么远见？ What is your outlook on that?
• 我的看法（view）不一样 I view it differently.
• 现在我了解全貌了 Now I've got the whole picture.
• 我给你指出一些问题 Let me point something out to you.
• 那见解够深刻 That's an insightful idea.
• 那真是真知灼见 That was a brilliant remark.
• 论点很明晰 The argument is clear.
• 这个论述隐晦难懂 It was a murky discussion.
• 能说明下你的观点吗？ Could you elucidate your remarks?
• 这个论点很透彻 It's a transparent argument.
• 这个论述不透彻 The discussion was opaque.

爱是物理力（电磁力，引力等）

• 我觉得我们俩之间来电了 I could feel the electricity between us.
• 冒出火花了 There were sparks.
• 我被她吸引了 I was magnetically drawn to her.
• 他们无法控制地相互吸引着 They are uncontrollably attracted to each other.
• 他们互相吸引着对方 They gravitated to each other immediately.
• 他所有生活都是围着她转 His whole life revolves around her.
• 他们在一起时气氛（atmosphere）如充满了电 The atmosphere around them is always charged.
• 他们之间的关系充满了难以置信的能量 There is incredible energy in their relationship.
• 他们丧失了动力 They lost their momentum.

爱是病人

• 这是一种病态关系 This is a sick relationship.
• 他们的婚姻关系牢固健康 They have a strong, healthy marriage.
• 他们婚姻已如死灰 —— 无法复原 The marriage is dead —— it can't be revived.
• 他们正在修补他们的婚姻关系 Their marriage is on the mend.
• 我们的关系又好了 We're getting back on our feet.
• 他们关系正当妤 Their relationship is in really good shape.
• 他们的婚姻毫无激情 They've got a listless marriage.
• 他们的婚姻已跛脚了（on its last legs） Their marriage is on its last legs.
• 这段感情太累了 It's a tired affair.

爱是疯狂

• 我为她疯狂 I'm crazy about her.
• 她使我疯狂 She drives me out of my mind.
• 他不断被她倾倒 He constantly raves about her.
• 他已经为她而痴狂 He's gone mad over her.
• 我为哈利而疯 I'm just wild about Harry.
• 我为她癫狂 I'm insane about her.

爱是魔法

• 我着了她的魔 She cast her spell over me.
• 爱情魔力已消失 The magic is gone.
• 我着魔了 I was spellbound.
• 我被他迷住了 She had me hypnotized.
• 他令我恍惚（in a trance） He has me in a trance.
• 我为他着迷（entranced） I was entranced by him.
• 我为她着迷（charmed） I'm charmed by her.
• 她令人着迷（bewitching） She is bewitching.

爱是战争（LOVE IS WAR）

• 他因“速战速决”而闻名 He is known for his many rapid conquests.
• 她为他而战，却败给了他的情妇 She fought for him, but his mistress won out.
• 他逃避了她的主动追求 He fled from her advances.
• 她不屈不挠地追求他 She pursued him relentlessly.
• 他慢慢赢得她的欢心 He is slowly gaining ground with her.
• 他赢得与她牵手婚姻殿堂 He won her hand in marriage.
• 他深深打动了她 He overpowered her.
• 她被众多求婚者包 She is besieged by suitors.
• 他不得不把别人阻挡开 He has to fend them off.
• 他得到了她朋友的支持 He enlisted the aid of her friends.
• 他和她妈妈结成同盟 He made an ally of her mother.
• 我以为他俩的结盟是一个最大的错误 Theirs is a misalliance if I've ever seen one.

财富是被隐藏的物品

• 他在寻找自己的财富 He's seeking his fortune.
• 他在炫耀他新得的财富 He's flaunting his new-found wealth.
• 他是财富猎手 He's a fortune-hunter.
• 她是个淘金者 She's a gold-digger.
• 他失去了所有财富 He lost his fortune.
• 他追寻财富 He's searching for wealth.

重要的就是大的

• 在服装业他举足轻重 He's a big man in the garment industry.
• 他是一个文学巨匠 He's a giant among writers.
• 这将是影响广告业数年的最重大观点 That's the biggest idea to hit advertising in years.
• 他是这个行业的领头羊 He's head and shoulders above everyone in the industry.
• 这只是个小小的错误 It was only a small crime.
• 那只是个小小的善意谎言 That was only a little white lie.
• 这样的暴行令我惊愕 I was astounded at the enormity of the crime.
• 那是世界职业棒球大赛历史上最重大的时刻 That was one of the greatest moments in World Series history.
• 他的成就远远胜过那些不如他的人 His accomplishments tower over those of lesser men.

看见就是摸到；眼睛是四肢

• 我无法将视线离开她 I can't take my eyes off her.
• 他端坐在那儿，视线紧紧盯着电视机 He sits with his eyes glued to the TV.
• 她（的眼睛）挑出了图案中的所有细节 Her eyes picked out every detail of the pattern.
• 他们四目相对 Their eyes met.
• 她从未将视线从他脸上移开 She never moves her eyes from his face.
• 她扫视屋里的每一件东西 She ran her eyes over everything in the room.
• 他要所有的东西都在他目之所及的地方 He wants everything within reach of his eyes.

眼睛是情感的容器

• 我在他的眼里看到恐惧 I could see the fear in his eyes.
• 他眼里满是怒火 His eyes were filled with anger.
• 她双眼充满激情^ There was passion in her eyes.
• 他眼里流露出怜悯之情 His eyes displayed his compassion.
• 她眼里流露出掩饰不住的恐惧 She couldn't get the fear out of her eyes.
• 他的眼里充满爱 Love showed in his eyes.
• 他眼里盈满感情 Her eyes welled with emotion.

情感效应是身体接触

• 他母亲的去世给了他沉重的打击 His mother's death hit him hard.
• 我被这个主意深深吸引了 That idea bowled me over.
• 她倾国倾城 She's a knockout.
• 我被他的真诚所打动 I was struck by his sincerity.
• 那给我留下了深刻的印象 That really made an impression on me.
• 他的成绩闻名世界 He made his mark on the world.
• 我被他的话打动了 I was touched by his remark.
• 这深深打动了我 That blew me away.

身体和情感状态是人体内的实体

• 他肩膀疼痛 He has a pain in his shoulder.
• 别把感冒传给我 Don't give me the flu.
• 我从头冷到了胸 My cold has gone from my head to my chest.
• 疼痛感消失了 His pains went away.
• 沮丧又缠上了他 His depression returned.
• 热茶和蜂蜜能止你的咳嗽 Hot tea and honey will get rid of your cough.
• 他掩饰不住地高兴 He could barely contain his joy.
• 笑容从他脸上消失了 The smile left his face.
• 别一脸冷笑，不干你事！ Wipe that sneer off your face, private!
• 他的恐惧不断来袭 His fears keep coming back.
• 我一定得摆脱挥之不去的消沉状态 I've got to shake off this depression-it keeps hanging on.
• 感冒了就多喝水，能把病毒冲出体外 If you've got a cold, drinking lots of tea will flush it out of your system.
• 他身上没有一丝怯弱迹象 There isn't a trace of cowardice in him.
• 他就没有诚实的那根筋 He hasn't got an honest bone in his body.

活力是一种物质

• 她充满生机与活力 She's brimming with vim and vigor.
• 她活力四射 She's overflowing with vitality.
• 他毫无精力 He's devoid of energy.
• 一天结束时我已筋疲力尽 I don't have any energy left at the end of the day.
• 我的精力消耗殆尽 I'm drained.
• 这事花了我太多精力 That took a lot out of me.

生活是一个容器

• 我的人生很充实 I've had a full life.
• 他生活空虚 Life is empty for him.
• 他不能从生活中得到更多东西了 There's not much left for him in life.
• 她的生活中有无尽的活动 Her life is crammed with activities.
• 充分体验生活 Get the most out of life.
• 他的生活满是凄楚 His life contained a great deal of sorrow.
• 充实地生活 Live your life to the fullest.

生活是一场赌博游戏

• 我要赌一把 I'll take my chances.
• 胜算总是跟我对着干 The odds are against me.
• 我手里有张王牌 I've got an ace up my sleeve.
• 他手里都是好牌 He's holding all the aces.
• 这胜负难分 It's a toss-up.
• 只要出对牌，就能把事办好 If you play your cards right, you can do it.
• 他赢了把大的 He won big.
• 他输得很彻底 He's a real loser.
• 形势危急时他在哪？ Where is he when the chips are down?
• 这是我的王牌 That's my ace in the hole.
• 他在虚张声势 He's bluffing.
• 总统行事守口如瓶 The president is playing it close to his vest.
• 提高賭注吧 Let's up the ante.
• 或许我们该增加赌注 Maybe we need to sweeten the pot.
• 我觉得我们应该坚持不换牌 I think we should stand pat.
• 只是运气而已 That's the luck of the draw.
• 这些都是高风险的 Those are high stakes.

在这最后一组例子中，我们有大量被称为“程式化话语”、“固定表达式”、“词汇短语项”的例子。它们就像单个的词一样多方发挥作用。语言中有成千上万个类似的例子。在上述给出的例子中，这一套词汇短语项是由单一隐喻概念连贯建构的。尽管每一项都是“生活是一场赌博游戏”这个隐喻的实例，但是它们所描述的都是生活，而非赌博本身。这些例子都是我们谈论生活时的常规表达方式，就像我们在谈理论的时候通常会用到“构建”这个词一样$基于此，我们将其纳人我们所称的由隐喻概念建构的字面表达之中。当你说"胜算总是跟我对着干”或“我们不得不赌一把”的时候，人们不会认为你是在用隐喻手法，而只是在说一些适合该环境的平常话。不过，你谈论、思考甚至体验这些生活情境的方式却将是由隐喻建构的。