What is a character-as-physical-strength metaphor?

What is a character-as-physical-strength metaphor?

Definition
	A conventional metaphor in which moral character is represented as physical strength, such that the degree of strength represents the level of moral goodness.

Examples
	Here are some examples in English:
	She's morally strong. He has a firm character. He's a bit unstable, as far as character goes. She has weak character.

Generic
	A character-as-physical-strength metaphor is a kind of
	What is a metaphor for values?

Source
	Kovecses 1986

Context for this page:

Concept module: character-as-physical-strength metaphor
In modular book: Metaphors in English, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H. Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Lexicon

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 18 September 1998