Decoding the implicit in the Chinese folk tale "How the Old Man Moved the Mountain"

The article is dedicated to decoding the subtext in the Chinese folk tale "How the Old Man Decided to Move the Mountain," describing the duality of the tale: the explicit and implicit layers. Special attention is paid to the symbolism of the tale and its metaphorization. The object of the study is the stylistics of decoding as a method of interpreting a literary text based on a nationally oriented methodology in Russian as a foreign language classes. The subject of the research is the category of implicitness as hidden semantics in the Chinese folk tale. The author has chosen the semantic-stylistic method of analysis. The household tale "How the Old Man Decided to Move the Mountain" is considered an effective educational didactic material in Russian language classes as a foreign language. Methodological recommendations are provided to promote engaging and effective learning of the Russian language using a nationally oriented methodology. The study is based on analytical, descriptive, and semantic-stylistic methods. The analysis is built on the principles of historicism and taking into account the national culture in which the text was created. The relevance of the theme raised in the article is due to the fact that the stylistics of decoding as a method of interpreting a literary text is currently of great importance, especially in classes of Russian language using a nationally oriented methodology. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time a philological analysis of the Chinese folk tale "How the Old Man Decided to Move the Mountain" has been carried out for the purpose of its application in educational contexts at the mid B1 I certification level. The analysis integrates with the methodology of guided reading aimed at a qualitative perception and understanding of the text at all its levels. Decoding the implicit layer of the text leads to the conclusion that in this ancient Chinese tale is embodied the dream of the common people about scientific and technological progress, about the possibility of overcoming powerful nature, and that human perseverance and labor can move mountains. The tale is metaphorically condensed to a phraseological expression and a precedent statement that contains two opposing meanings: "Yugong moved the mountains" and "The foolish old man moves the mountains," since variations of the tale with different subtexts can be found in Chinese folklore: moving mountains - boldly and commendably, moving mountains - foolishly and in vain.

implicit layer, decoding, subtext, Chinese folk tale, folklore, exploratory reading, metaphorization, phraseological units, symbolism, nationally oriented approach