Cognitive linguistic analysis of spatial verbs in “Zuo Zhuan” and exploration of the spatiotemporal relationship bioinformatically
Authors: Xu Jia 
Published: February 2025

In recent years, the digitalization of ancient books has revitalized traditional works and highlighted the “humanistic” dimension of digitalization. This article employs the SikuBERT pre-training model, which is tailored for natural language processing in classical Chinese texts, and forges an innovative connection with the realm of biomechanics, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of spatial verbs in the pre-Qin dynasty text Zuo Zhuan. The analysis encompasses detailed annotation, quantitative analysis, automatic recognition, and evaluation of spatial verbs, culminating in the creation of a digital knowledge base for spatial verbs in Zuo Zhuan. The study identifies four main types of high-frequency spatial verbs in Zuo Zhuan: Motion, state, existence, and direction. To enhance theoretical depth, this classification is grounded in cognitive linguistic theory, which explains the semantic connotations and cognitive basis of each verb type. Motion verbs, are closely linked to the representation of dynamic spatiotemporal contexts, particularly in describing human movement patterns and behaviors, invoking principles from biomechanics such as kinematics and dynamics. These verbs can be integrated with biomechanical concepts like trajectory analysis and mechanical models to understand how ancient humans engaged in dynamic activities within specific spaces. State and existence verbs emphasize static relationships, while directional verbs highlight the guiding nature of movement trajectories, which can be further explored through concepts of displacement and velocity in biomechanics. These verb types interact to construct the spatiotemporal framework of the text, demonstrating how language encodes complex spatial and temporal relationships. Moreover, the study investigates the interactive mechanisms of the four verb types in language use, analyzing how they collectively construct the spatiotemporal context of ancient texts, thereby enhancing our understanding of narrative techniques in pre-Qin literature. For instance, motion verbs often act as the primary drivers of narrative progression, while state verbs provide contextual stability, existence verbs denote presence, and directional verbs guide interpretative focus. Quantitatively, the study examines the characteristics of these verbs from three dimensions: temporal-quantitative relations, behavioral-quantitative relations, and scene-component relations. The findings reveal distinct quantitative features among the four types, with motion verbs exhibiting the highest diversity and quantity. This nuanced exploration not only contributes to the re-interpretation of pre-Qin dynasty texts but also strengthens the ability to deconstruct and analyze digitalized texts from this period, thereby advancing the field of classical Chinese digital humanities. By integrating a biomechanical perspective, this study further explores the application of spatial verbs in describing human movement behaviors, utilizing biomechanical models to analyze the efficiency and postural changes of ancient humans in specific environments, revealing the deep connections between language expression and human activity. This interdisciplinary perspective enriches our understanding of ancient culture and provides a new methodological framework for research in modern humanities.