Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) has become popular as a framework from which to analyze metaphorical language. My research shows, nevertheless, that cautionary measures should be taken when analyzing texts very different from those in Western literature, to which most of CMT has been applied. My analysis of premodern Chinese language reveals that, although some metaphors and schemas apply, the relation between language, image, and the world evinces a different conceptualization altogether.