This study investigates the cultural imagery vocabulary and symbolic meanings embedded within 85 Recommended Texts issued by Hong Kong Education Bureau. These texts, drawn from classical Chinese literature, are rich in cultural symbolism and literary aesthetics, offering valuable resources for language and literary education. Through semantic analysis and diachronic comparison, the study identifies primary cultural imagery categories—such as the moon, plants, animals, and human actions—and traces their historical evolution and symbolic transformation. Findings reveal that these vocabulary items convey traditional Chinese values, modes of emotional expression, and philosophical thought. Rather than evaluating educational outcomes, this study aims to construct a theoretical framework to support vocabulary and cultural instruction, thereby enhancing students’ cultural literacy and textual interpretation skills. Building upon this framework, concrete teaching strategies are proposed, including the development of thematic vocabulary columns and cultural archetypes, to facilitate the systematic integration of cultural imagery into curriculum design. By articulating the dialectical relationship between cultural inheritance and innovation, this study offers insights for exploring effective pedagogical approaches to classical imagery within contemporary educational contexts.

Countries in the Chinese character cultural sphere share the Chinese Zodiac that assigns twelve animals to each year a person is born based on the order of arrival, so-called Tti. The twelve animals reflect the psychological characteristics of human life and are regarded as more special than other animals. Thus, the animals are used in idiomatic expressions as a vehicle to more properly describe human feelings and thought. This study therefore analyzed the semantic features of the twelve animals to explore the Chinese perception about the animals. The study result can be summarized as below: The representative semantic features of the twelve animals are as follows: [Villain], [Thief], [Misdeed], [Harmful], and [Heinous] for Rat; [Big] for Ox; [Villain], [Ferocious], [Cruel], [Heinous], [Foe], [Causing Fear], [Causing Risk], [Harmful], [Aggressor], and [Predator] for Tiger; [Agile] and [Quick] for Rabbit; [Emperor], [King], [High Status], [Authority], and [General] for Dragon; [Villain], [Aggressor], [Greedy], [Cunning], [Heinous], and [Vicious] for Snake; [War] and [Military] for Horse; [Weak], [Sacrifice], and [Dangerous Situation] for Sheep; [Nominal] for Monkey; [Small], [Slight], [Trifling], and [Useless] for Rooster; [Shabby], [Vulgar], [Bad], and [Foolish] for Dog; and [Shabby], [Vulgar], and [Wicked] for Pig. The negative semantic features were dominant in all animals except the dragon, which is consistent with a tendency that the animals are generally used to emphasize the negative aspects of a person. The semantic features of the animals are also presented in various domains of action, psychology, personality, morality, size, episode, speed, status, position, geographical features, attitude, shape, living, means, situation, etc.