What is moving? A Special Case of Chinese Time Passing Is Motion

This study investigates Chinese “Motion-Verb + Time” structure with an aim to identify the construal of moving entity (or entities) in this construction, and further mull over its possible implications to Chinese ‘Time Passing is Motion’. Converging data from questionnaire and experiment support the argument that the omitted subject in this structure is conceivable as both a moving ego and moving time, but preferably as time. We conclude that this structure is a subcase of Moving Time, in line with Ahrens & Huang (2002). “Moving Time” is proved to be predominant in Chinese, but specific instantiations of time metaphors require a more flexible framework to allow interactions with and coexistence of “moving ego” in the same context.