Euphemism and its Cultural Values in A Dream of Red Mansions

Abstract

This paper studies Cao Xueqin’s A Dream of Red Mansions from a cultural perspective, with an analysis of its historical context, its author’s life, and its literary qualities. Examining the characters’ euphemistic language helps provide an outline of feudal society at the end of the Qing Dynasty, encompassing politics, national character, sex and marriage, customs, religion, and literary style. Our aim is to research the euphemistic expressions, including various categories of taboo, but also to help readers fill the gaps in their knowledge and improve their understanding of the book’s cultural underpinnings.