The lexicalization of the word 'Jinqing' (尽情) in Chinese

摘要

The lexicalization and grammaticalization of Chinese word "Jinqing" (尽情) has been studied in this paper, with examples from Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, and modern Chinese. The word has undergone three phases: V+N phrase, verb, and adverb. Reasons of the grammaticalization have been proposed and discussed. In addition, the lexicalization of "Jin+X" structure has also been examined.