1 Introduction Much progress has been made in the study of conceptual metaphors under the framework of cognitive linguistics since 1980s. It will be safe to say that the cognitive theories thus far proposed, such as the theories of mapping and blending space by scholars like George Lakoff, Ronald Langacker, Gilles Fauconnier and Raymond Gibbs, have made great contribution to modern linguistics. These theories have been widely applied to fields like semantics, discourse analysis and crossculture communication. Theoretical improvement in linguistics is often reflected in foreign language teaching and learning, such as teaching approaches and materials. However, few studies in China have been conducted to apply cognitive linguistics, especially the study of conceptual metaphors, to the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.
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