ABSTRACT
From the perspective of evaluation, the Chinese language is negative overall. Among all the words with evaluative connotation, most being adjectives, there are far more negative ones than positive ones. Chinese idioms (chengyu) are considered formal and refined. However, the ratio of the number of positive idioms to negative ones is 50:1 according to the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, 2005 edition). Additionally, according to 500 Common Chinese Proverbs and Colloquial Expressions, the most common word found in the entries is ‘bù,’ which means ‘not’ or ‘don’t.’ In contrast, in the Fact on File Dictionary of Proverbs, the two most common words are ‘good’ and ‘man.’
#37 Stress the past, not the present (厚古薄今); #154 Deterioration (变差); #247 More bad guys (坏人多); #267 Dilution of vulgar words (傻*)
