A Cultural Cognitive Linguistic Study of Male Garment Description in The Scholars (Chapter1-30)

Global Academic Frontiers, Vol. 3, Issue 4, 2025, pp. 96-110 Print ISSN 2995-5688 Online ISSN 2995-570X DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17836798 96 A Cultural Cognitive Linguistic Study of Male Garment Description in The Scholars (Chapter1-30) Zhiting He 1* 1Southwest University, Chongqing, China *Corresponding author Email: [email protected] Received 20 August 2025; Accepted 7 September 2025; Published 6 December 2025 © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license. Abstract: Since the mentioning of cultural cognitive linguistics, there is a shift of cognitive linguistics. However, previous studies have primarily focused on simple feature analysis of the Scholars, failing to either uncover the internal dynamic mechanism of how Wu trying to unveil satire topic through males’ garment. To address this gap, this study adopts Wen Xu’s partial concepts about cultural cognitive linguistics by establishing effective framework to find how Wu construct social identity, shape character’s fate, and reflect the rigid Confucian social hierarchy of mid-18th century China. The study intends to address the following three questions: (1) What cultural metaphors, metonymies, framings are embedded in the male garment descriptions in the first thirty chapters of The Scholars, and how do they project the hidden social hierarchies and ideologies of the Ming and Qing dynasties? (2) How does the framework collectively and dynamically contribute to our understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and cognition? (3) What is the cognitive function of male garment descriptions in the first thirty chapters of The Scholars in terms of activating cultural frames and reflecting the socio-cultural context of Wu’s time? Using AntConc for content collection and extraction, the study analyzes the first 30 chapters of this classic book. The findings reveal that cultural metaphorization, cultural metononymization, and cultural framing are effective in analyzing Chinese tradition classics. Interestingly, this paper also finds the internal operation logic among them. Cultural framing, no matter matched or mismatched one, can trigger or map the happenings of cultural metaphorization or cultural metononymization, or both, which is dependent on the specific context and garment descriptions. It also provides practical insights for future classic study. Keywords: Cognitive Linguistics; Cultural Analysis; Cultural Metaphorization; Cultural Metononymization; Cultural Framing; Garment Description; The Scholars Introduction This opening chapter contextualizes the thesis from the following four aspects: research background, research purpose, and research significance. 1.1 Research Background With the advancement of society, material civilization has made great progress in China. Spiritual civilization, particularly in its emphasis on cultural diversity, dimensionality, and revolution, has garnered attention from modern scholars. It is thus rational to conclude that culture is a continuously reconstructed, re-contextualized, renegotiated, and recreated soft power. Culture is not only the sum of knowledge and customs, but also a multifaceted embodiment in terms of systems of knowledge, symbols that empower the world with meaning, behavioral patterns, power structures, and social realities. What’s more, it constitutes the shared models that shape human cognition and conduct (Wen Xu, 2025). 97 Classics are the microcosm of Chinese culture, among which can be found in the satirical literature of Wu Ching-tzu, the author of The Scholars . This book depicts the greed, hypocrisy, and ugliness of various types of scholars, exposes the decadence and darkness of feudal society, and criticizes and satirizes the imperial examination system and the feudal ethical code. It is most conspicuously characteristic of “being a lengthy novel but similar to short stories” in structure, “castigating the errors of the times out of unselfish motives, and “sorrow with harmony, elegance with much satire” (Lu Xun, 1930) in the art of irony. This masterpiece manifests various aspects of the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as rituals, beliefs, examinations, attire, etc. This paper mainly investigates the male’s garment description for clothing can be attributed as a cultural phenomenon, showing both the material production of its era and spiritual dimensions. Specifically, it serves as the practical purpose of physical protection and as an integral component of the collective outlook of a society in a particular history. Its dual nature is rooted in the feudal philosophy that establishing strict regulations could effectively safeguard a country’s authority (Tang Zihui, 2017). This paper focuses on first thirty chapters by adopting the Chinese version from People’s Literature Publishing House and the English version by Yang Hsienyi and Gladys Yang, who have made great contributions to the spread of Chinese literature and culture. While existing studies have primarily focused on the historical value, social symbolic functions, and translatability of the garment descriptions in The Scholars , there remains a limited perception of how the garment, as a cultural symbol, showing the underlying cultural cognitive mechanisms, still warrants further in-depth exploration. 1.2 Target of Research This study seeks to employ Wen Xu ’ s (2025) concepts about cultural cognitive linguistics. However, the proposed framework is not borrowed plainly for my analysis; instead, I argue that the existing frameworks can be adapted and combined, forming a tripartite cultural cognitive framework, i.e., cultural metaphorization, cultural metonymization, and cultural framing, to analyze new discourse types and address new research problems in new contexts, i.e., in the male garment descriptions in The Scholars , thereby advancing a new paradigm for analyzing classical Chinese garment. Specifically, this study aims to 1) reveal cultural metaphors in garment descriptions, projecting the hidden social hierarchies and ideologies in the Ming and Qing dynasties. 2) decode cultural metonymy in specific garment delineations, triggering associations with feudal examination systems and ethical conduct. 3) activate cultural frames for literature interpretation, reflecting upon the socio-cultural context of Wu’s time. 1.3 Significance of the Research Theoretically, this study pioneers a tripartite analytical framework, thus bridging the gap between abstract cultural cognitive theories and concrete discourse analysis. By focusing on the cultural cognitive mechanism, this study has the potential to significantly deepen our understanding of how cultural symbols convey feudal social hierarchies, thus uncovering the complex but intimate interplay between language, culture, and cognition (Wen Xu, 2025) It also challenges traditional literary studies by extending its scope beyond the textual analysis, personage characteristics, plot development etc., thus offering a more holistic view of analysis of the classics. This approach breaks new ground by examining not only the linguistic components but also the cognitive elements such as cultural cognitive metaphor, metonymy, and frame, which have often been underexplored in previous studies. Practically, this study presents a new orientation for interpreting classical Chinese literature with a focus on those rich but specific descriptions such as garments. It also has pedagogical implications for teachers to guide students how to better appreciate the cultural nuances, thereby enhancing their critical thinking about heritage preservation. Additionally, this study can facilitate cross-cultural communication especially for translators, which requires conveying not only literal meaning, but also metaphorical, metonymical features in other Chinese literature. Furthermore, the insights from this research could be used to study other satirical novels during the Ming and Qing dynasties by grasping this unique artistic technique and applying it to the creation of contemporary novels (Tang Zihui, 2017). 98 Literature Analysis This chapter reviews the pertinent literature from two key fields that inform this study: the definition and classification of garments in the Ming-Qing Dynasties. With major findings of previous studies introduced and critically evaluated, the research scope for the current study will be established. 2.1 Studies on Garments in the Ming-Qing Dynasties 2.1.1 Definition of Garments According to the Han Yu Da Ci Dian ( The Great Chinese Dictionary ), the term“服饰”(fúshì) has three definitions. Firstly, the ornaments for jade pendants, or decorative colors of jade artifacts. Secondly, garments and decorations. Thirdly, the practice of dressing and adorning (Cheng Jia, 2008). Specifically, garments are referred to as “服饰” in Chinese, which can be analyzed from the perspectives of “服” and “饰”. Here is the working definition in this thesis to better meet the needs of further exploration of male garments in this field: Garments or “服饰”(fúshì) consist of wearings, including headwear, bodywear, and footwear in this study, and accessories accompanying the male clothing. Despite the inclusion of female descriptions of wearings and accessories, they occupy a very limited space for discussion, which is also the reason for not covering female suits. 2.1.2 Classification of Garments Here is the brief form of different body parts of wearings and accessories in the Scholars , which summarize the previous literature including Yin Zhihong (2009), Ning Feng and Wang Yangyang (2015), Chen Qun (2016), Liu Ziyun (2016) Tang Zihui (2017). Table 2-1 Classification of Garments (combined from previous literature) 首 服 方巾 纱帽 黑帽 瓦楞 帽 毡 帽 高 帽 小 帽 青 衣 小 帽 孝 帽 网 巾 浩 然 巾 乌 纱 帽 草 帽 僧 帽 和 尚 帽 子 主 服 直裰 蟒袍 (蟒衣) 补服 青衣 (青布 衣服) 孝 服 足 服 皂靴 履 (朱履、丝 履) 草鞋 (麻 鞋、蒲 鞋、芒 鞋) 配 饰 金带 、丝绦 扇子 (诗扇、金 扇) 2.2 Status quo of Descriptions of Garments in the Ming-Qing Dynasties In retrospect, existing scholarship on garments in the Ming and Qing Dynasties has primarily focused on such aspects as social and ritual symbolism of hearwear from Yin Zhihong (2009), with an aim to unravel the political symbolism, ethics, and symbolic system of Chinese apparel development; general textual analysis of the garments description from Yan Xiang jun (2002, 2006), and Ning Feng, Wang Yangyang (2015) with a dedication to emphasize their value or function in character portrayal, topic accentuation and realistic reflection. However, theoretical 99 analysis especially the cognitive exploration in explaining the male garments presentation in the Scholars has been marginalized in current literature. In light of this, we explore how a tripartite cultural cognitive framework established in this study will contribute to the specific analysis, which is intend to break the single-disciplinary perspectives in the previous investigation. The findings will provide valuable insights into the cognitive drivers behind male garments description, striving for elucidation the interplay between cognition, culture, and text. Theoretical Framework This chapter focuses on the theoretical basis of this study, which includes cultural metaphorization, cultural metonymization, and cultural framing. 3.1 Cultural Metaphorization 3.1.1 Definition of Cultural Metaphorization Metaphor, not only seen as a mere linguistic device, but rather, the cognitive and cultural structures. It is based on both embodied and cultural experiences. Different cultures, rooted in their specific historical backgrounds, philosophical systems, and social practices, form unique metaphorical systems that shape our ways of cognition and expression towards core concepts such as life, time, feeling, and social orders (Wen Xu, 2025). Cultural metaphorization is a cross-domain mapping process whereby abstract concepts, ethical values, and social phenomena can be made concrete and vivid through the metaphorical mechanism. For example, as for the idea “LIFE IS X”, different words can be filled in this slot: JOURNEY, DRAMA, GAME, STORY, BATTLE, etc. In Chinese culture, we tend to use the image of water. We have sayings in the Laws Divine And Human (also known as Tao Te Ching ): “The highest good (virtue) is like water. Water benefits everything by giving without taking or contending. It likes the low place others dislike, so it follows closely the divine law.”, “Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water, but nothing is better to win over the hard and the strong, for it cannot be replaced.”etc. (Xu Yuanchong, 2012). The virtue of water aligns with the virtue of non-contention, which conforms to the divine law. In a brief conclusion, LIFE IS WATER, under the Chinese context, reflects culture-specific thought patterns and worldviews. In this research, we’d like to offer a working definition to have further exploration in the Scholars . Cultural metaphorization refers to the cognitive mechanism through which sociocultural values can be projected through males’ garments. 3.1.2 Garments Classification of Cultural Metaphorization Previous literature does not equip us with operational cultural metaphorization, metonymization, and framing classification; it is thus necessary to put forward the targeted cultural metaphor, metonymy, and framing naming(s) based on the concrete texts. Through meticulous analysis, we assume that there exist three sub-categories of cultural metaphorization in the male garments descriptions: HIERARCHICAL DEMARCATION ARE GARMENT EMBLEMS, SCALE DESCENDING IS GARMENT DAMAGE, and SCALE AESCENDING IS GARMENT OPULENCE. To better explore the features of the text, the author would like to give the operational definitions initially. Firstly, HIERARCHICAL DEMARCATION ARE GARMENT EMBLEMS means Chinese ancient officials’ rank can be understood by their garment declarations. In another words, it is a cognitive mechanism by which material properties, patterns, and colors of garments are visual embodiment of officials’ social hierarchies. It transforms abstract stratification into concrete/physical traits. Secondly, SCALE DESCENDING IS GARMENT DAMAGE means the disposed scale can be judged upon their garment damage situation. Its opposite situation SCALE AESCENDING IS GARMENT OPULENCE means the reversed connotation. Specifically, the two refers to a metaphorical mechanism that qualifies identity ups or downs through garment ascending or descending. Table 3-1-2 Two Categories of Garments Classification of Cultural Metaphorization Structure Cognitive Principles HIERARCHICAL DEMARCATION ARE GARMENT EMBLEMS Material/pattern/color symbolizing social stratification boundaries 100 SCALE DESCENDING IS GARMENT DAMAGE Garments deterioration symbolizing identity devaluation SCALE AESCENDING IS GARMENT OPULENCE Garments enhancement symbolizing identity elevation (The structure “A” is “B” means “A maps B”) 3.2 Cultural Metonymization 3.2.1 Definition of Cultural Metonymization Metonomy can be defined as a cognitive process in which one cognitive category, the source, provides mental access to another cognitive category, the target, within the same domain. It is molded as the Idealized Cognitive Model (ICM) by Lakoff in 1987. Different from metaphor, which relies on the structural mappings from two domains, metonymy is dependent on the actual associations between concepts, such as part-whole, container-content, and location-institution (Wen Xu 2014). Cultural metonymization is the conceptual process through which cultural concepts can be transferred within a single cognitive domain or ICM via contiguity relations. This enriches linguistic expressions on the one hand and embodies the reshaping functions of culture on the other. Regarding the part-whole relation, dragon bone, or “龙骨” (lóng gǔ), stands for traditional Chinese medicine. Black silk, or “青丝”(Qīng sī), stands for hair metonymically. The most famous line is from Li Bai’s poem: “Do you not see the mirrors bright in chambers high, grieve over your snow-white hair though once it was silk-black?” Concerning the container-content, the inkstone, or “砚”(yàn), stands for calligraphy, which is an essential writing tool for grinding ink. Similarly, the jug or “壶”(hú) frequently serves as a metonym for wine in Chinese cultural contexts. In terms of location-institution, “梨园”(líyuán) can be literally translated as Pear Garden, metonymically denotes the operatic world, tracing back to the training community for musicians and actors established by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty in the imperial pear orchard. These examples demonstrate the rich phenomenon of metonymy within Chinese culture, exemplifying the profound interconnection between the language and its cultural heritage. In this study, the working definition of cultural metonymization means the cognitive mechanism where garment components can activate their corresponding social order symbols or holistic image representation. 3.2.2 Garments Classification of Cultural Metonymization As the previous section 3.1.2 has mentioned, schematizing the effective operation of garments classification of cultural metaphorization is also of great importance. Through meticulous investigation, we have found the following cultural metonymization: Garment state→Identity label, garment signs→Authoritative symbol, Garment compliance →Ethic carrier, and Accessory marks→Cultural capital. Garment state→Identity label means an official’s makeup state can activate readers’ association to his identity in the ancient Ming-Qing Dynasties. Specifically, it refers to how the garment (the property) reflect his social classification (category). Garment signs→Authoritative symbols signifies the costume of an official can spark readers’ cognitive connection to his authority. It is the representation of “PART FOR WHOLE” just as the saying “peering at a leopard through a bamboo tube”, which means to infer the whole from a partial glimpse. Garment compliance→ Ethic carrier means some headwear like “孝帽” (a hat used to wear to honor the dead in the mourning) act as a reminder to the hold ethic rituals. Through the state of wearing the specific headwear, it can be associated the reason why the character wears such a hat in that situation. Lastly, accessory marks→cultural capital means some affiliated decoration with scholars like silk fan can be served as a particular cultural capital for some community. 101 Table 3-2-2 Four Categories of Garments Classification of Cultural Metonymization Structure Cognitive Principles Source Domain → Target Domain Garment State → Identity Label PROPERTY FOR CATEGORY Garment Signs → Authoritative Symbol PART FOR WHOLE Garment Compliance → Ethic Carrier EFFECT FOR CAUSE Accessory Marks → Cultural Capital SIGN FOR POSSESSOR (The sign “→” represents “stand(s) for” or “activate(s)”) 3.3 Cultural Framing 3.3.1 Definition of Cultural Framing Different scholars have given their definitions of frame, to name just a few: A frame is a data structure for representing a stereotyped situation, like being in a certain kind of living room, or going to a child ’ s birthday party (Minsky 1974:1-2). When the individual in our Western society recognizes a particular event, he tends, whatever else he does, to imply in this response (and in effect employ) one or more frameworks or schemata of interpretation of a kind that can be called primary (Goffman 1974). A frame is a mental structure that people use to understand reality and construct what we think is real; it influences our perception and behavior (Fillmore 1985).“Framing”is not primarily about politics or political messaging or communication. It is far more fundamental than that: Frames are the mental structures that allow human beings to understand reality—and sometimes to create what we take to be reality (Lakoff 2006). We can make an observation that the concept of frame has evolved into a cognitive notion based on its timeline, which can be summarized as the following table. Table 3-3-1 Timeline of Frame (adapted from Charles, J. Fillmore’s explanations to frames) Timeline Content Nature 1982:112 “Frame” is characterizing a small abstract ‘scene’ or ‘ situation ’ , so that to understand the semantic structure of the verb it was necessary to understand the properties of such schematized scenes. case frame 1985:86 “ Frame ” is any system of language choice which includes the combination of words, the grammar rules and the choice of language category. linguistic frame 1985:223 Frames are specific unified frameworks of knowledge or coherent schematizations of experience. cognitive frame Based on this, it can be concluded that frame is a cognitive system or model with many elements such as related roles, attributes, relations or typical cases which are tightly associated with each other. They are an entity which means the interpretation of any of them will activate the other elements, which are easily found as they are preinstalled in humans’ minds in the form of experience and beliefs. Cultural framing refers to the frame that shapes the cognition of individuals or communities to social events, concepts, or phenomena, the way we selectively emphasize and organize information, and the process by which we choose to judge the world we are in. It plays the role of a “cultural operating system”, influencing information understanding, determining the formation of cognition, attitudes, and behavior, and constituting personal and social identities to some extent. For this study, cultural framing signifies the cognitive mechanism by which garments activate socially scripted identity performances in the imperial examination context. 3.3.2 Garments Classification of Cultural Framing While cultural metaphorization and metonymization decode how individual garments project abstract values or 102 underlying social orders, cultural framing operates at a systemic level by illuminating how garments trigger preexisted, tacit, or prepackaged social scripts that govern the scholars’ performances. The author contends that Wu Ching-tzu masterfully deploys garments not merely as decorative elements but as cultural switches that instantaneously call forth three distinct culture-specific frames: matched frame, mismatched frame, and collapsed frame. The author would like to give an analogy by referring to the Field Theory from Systemic Functional Linguistics in order to explain matched frame, containing three variations: field, mode, and tenor. Matched frame can be regarded as the right “Field Theory”: the character does the right thing in the right situation using the right way. Specifically, the scholars wear right garments in the situation that that social environment requires with no more or less degree. The mismatched frame goes against with matched frame, which represents the disintegrated signifier-signified garment codes, where the disconnect between the clothing symbols and the wearer’s identity Table 3-3-2 Two Categories of Garments Classification of Cultural Framing Categories Core Logic Matched Frame Seamless signifier-signified garment codes aligning with social requirements or expectation Mismatched Frame Corrosive signifier-signified garment codes against with social requirements or expectation 3.4 Summary In summary, this chapter introduces the definition of cultural metaphorization, cultural metonymization, and cultural framing. Table 3-1-2, 3-2-2, and 3-3-2 provide the classification of the three concepts respectively, which outlines the framework of this study. Research Design Based on the analysis from the literature review in Chapter Two and the theoretical framework presented in Chapter Three, this chapter will introduce three research questions and delineate the methodology for constructing the required corpus. 4.1 Research Questions The existing scholarship on the analysis of garments descriptions of the Scholars has primarily focused on characteristic and social-political aspects. However, hidden mechanism through which garments are cognitively represented from the males ’ dressings has been marginalized in current literature. In light of this, this thesis intends to explore how cognitive perspective will contribute to the understanding of male garments beyond code symbol level and puts forward the following three research questions: (1) What cultural metaphors, metonymies, framings are embedded in the male garment descriptions in the first thirty chapters of The Scholars , and how do they project the hidden social hierarchies and ideologies of the Ming and Qing dynasties? (2) How does the framework collectively and dynamically contribute to our understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and cognition? (3) What is the cognitive function of male garment descriptions in the first thirty chapters of The Scholars in terms of activating cultural frames and reflecting the socio-cultural context of Wu’s time? 4.2 Research Methods This paper uses AntConc software to cover all garments description including verbs or verbal phrases like “wear”, “change”, “drape”, “pick”, “pluck”, “snatch”, “seize”, “wrap”, “bind”, “remove”, “dress up”, “put on”, “take off” etc. to cover all situations based on KWIC. Figure 4-2 presents the number of the English text tokens collected in this thesis. 103 Figure 4-2 The Situation of the Partial Verb “Wear” Based on KWIC Figure 4-2 The Results of Garments Description in Each Chapter (1-30) Research Results This chapter is trying to use specific examples to explain how the internal relationship among cultural metaphorization, cultural Metonymization, and cultural framing dynamically works. Since headwear, bodywear, footwear and accessories won’t mention separately in the original text, this paper thus chooses to analyze four elements of males’ garments collectively. 5.1 Cultural Metaphorization 5.1.1 HIERARCHICAL DEMARCATION ARE GARMENT EMBLEMS On the sixteenth the villagers sent in contributions to Shen Hsiang-fu, who prepared a feast for the new teacher to which he also invited Mei Chiu, the new scholar of the village. Mei Chiu arrived early, wearing his new square cap, but Chou Chin did not turn up till nearly noon. When dogs started barking outside, Shen Hsiang-fu went out to welcome the guest; and the villagers stared as Chou Chin came in. He was wearing an old felt cap, a tattered grey silk gown, the right sleeve and seat of which were in shreds, and a pair of shabby red silk slippers. He had a thin, dark face, and a white beard. 104 Chapter 2, Page 18 The imperial examination system in ancient China and the modern college entrance examination are two crucial educational and talent selection systems in Chinese history and contemporary society. There are different levels of examination ranging from Tongshi, to Xiangshi, Huishi, and finally to Dianshi. Tongshi is also known as the county examination, it was the preliminary level. Successful candidates were called “shengyuan” or “xiucai” (licentiate). Xiangshi is held at the provincial level, successful candidates were known as “juren” (recommended man) Huishi is conducted in the capital, successful candidates were referred to as “gongshi” (tribute scholars). Dianshi is the highest level of examination, conducted by the emperor himself, and successful candidates were titled “jinshi” (presented scholar). Here, Chou Chi is at the lower level than Mei Chiu even Chou is much older than Mei. Those who have passed the prefectural examination are considered senior to those who have not, regardless of age. Ming Dynasty scholars called all those who passed the prefectural examination “classmates,” and those who only qualified for this examination “ juniors. ” A young man in his teens who passed was considered senior to an unsuccessful candidate, even if the latter were eighty years old. It is no surprising that Mei wears “a new square cap” while Chou wear an “old felt cap”. This is the external representation of their hidden social ladder. The square hat can also be called the Confucian hat, which can only be worn by scholars in the Ming Dynasty, serving as a visual symbol of social ritual norms. This is conducive to representing identity and morality. Moreover, differences in material (plain black silk for scholars, gold trim for provincial graduates, and black gauze hats for imperial graduates) act as markers of social mobility, illustrating the hierarchical sequence of examination success. 5.1.2 SCALE DESCENDING IS GARMENT DAMAGE It was a rat which had slipped from the rafters! The hot soup gave it such a fright that it knocked over the bowl as it scuttled for safety, jumping on the bridegroom’s knee and smearing his red silk official gown with grease. All present were aghast. They hastily removed the dish, wiped the table clean and brought the bridegroom another gown into which to change. Chapter 10 Page120 In this example, Chu Hsien-fu is the bridegroom who marries Mr. Lu’s daughter. In the previous description, Mr. Lu’s family is rich with an old hall of an ancient mansion. However, Chu is not a real talented scholar. Here, the details in destroying the bridegroom’s garment and changing of his gown act as the hidden meaning to infer that he cannot compete with and is not as good as Mr. Lu’s daughter who is an intelligent girl with a good memory. Such move is an indication of his identity devalue. 5.1.3 SCALE AESCENDING IS GARMENT OPULENCE Yang was shocked to see the state Chuan was in. “Haven’t you even got a hat?” he asked with a frown. He made them sit down on a bench in the gate-house while he hurried in to fetch an old scholar’s cap for Chuan. “Who is this stalwart?” he inquired next. “This is the famous Iron-armed Chang of whom I was always telling you.” Chapter12 Page 138-139 In the Ming Dynasty, the society attaches great importance to wearing makeup, especially the cap as an identity identification. Chuan loses his cap, meaning he cannot give a visual code to others about the information who he is, which is the reason why Yang was shocked. Yang hastily takes the old scholar’s cap for him. Chuan does not have such honor and qualification to wear this cap despite being old for he is not a scholar. He naturally wears this cap, giving tacit consent to such move to deceive the master. Such ascending can be elevated to another social ladder with voice power to some extent.