The concept “medicinal herbs” in the Russian cultural code (based on paremiology)
https://doi.org/10.26907/2782-4756-2026-83-1-143-150
Abstract
Paroemias, as linguistic units that embody the life experience and wisdom of the people, are widely used in everyday communication. Medicinal herbs, playing a significant role in human life, are inextricably linked with it. This is why their names acquire unique national and cultural significance across cultures. By focusing on Russian paroemiological units associated with the concept of “Medicinal herbs”, one can both gain a deeper understanding of the specific meanings conveyed by herbal images in Russian communication and gain insight into the system of folk beliefs about them, thereby experiencing the uniqueness of Russian culture. This is the relevance of our study. The object of this article is Russian paroemiological units containing the concept of “Medicinal herbs”. Its purpose is to analyze the symbolic meaning of the concept of “Medicinal herbs” in the Russian paremiological worldview, subsequently comparing the utilitarian value of these herbs with their symbolic meanings, and analyzing their similarities and differences. This will ultimately allow us to understand the unique national understanding of medicinal herbs by the Russian people, as well as to perceive its cultural codes and the deep national consciousness hidden in the Russian paremiological worldview. An analysis of a corpus of over 200 relevant paremias revealed the most frequent plant images, among which nettle, flax, wormwood, and hops predominate. The study demonstrates that most of these concepts have a negative symbolic meaning in the Russian paremiological worldview or are associated with agriculture and religious holidays.
About the Author
Yu. Zheng
Kazan Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yunxia Zheng, graduate student
18 Kremlyovskaya Str., Kazan, 420008, Russian Federation
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Review
For citations:
Zheng Yu. The concept “medicinal herbs” in the Russian cultural code (based on paremiology). Philology and Culture. 2026;(1):143-150. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26907/2782-4756-2026-83-1-143-150
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