How Xi Jinping Talks About Poverty Alleviation: Metaphor as a Discursive Strategy in China’s Poverty Alleviation Discourse

Xi Jinping’s speeches on poverty alleviation embody a discourse with Chinese characteristics, where metaphors play a significant role. This study applied conceptual metaphor theory and critical metaphor analysis to examine how metaphors function as reasoning devices in China’s poverty alleviation policies. Using “习近平扶贫论述摘编” (Eradicating Poverty) as the data source, both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed three major metaphor types: CLOTHING metaphor (poverty as shabby clothes/hats), WAR metaphor (poverty as an enemy), and DISEASE metaphor (poverty as a disease). It was argued that these metaphors frame poverty alleviation in terms of recipients, agents, methods, and goal, influencing policy reasoning both positively and negatively. Our findings highlighted cross-linguistic commonalities and variations, enriching the understanding of metaphor use in poverty discourse.