Semantic parameters of quantitative units in structurally different languages

The article treats three quantitative units - ONE, TWO and THREE in structurally different Russian and Chinese. The authors carry out the comparative and contrastive study within the category of quantity - one of the most fundamental philosophical categories which empirically proves similarities and differences of varying cultural and historic traditions. The analysis is applied to denotations of natural numbers ONE, TWO and THREE which along with the general meaning of quantity reveal a line of semantic and symbolic similarities and differences in typologically different Chinese and Russian. The domain of the research is quantitative semantics; the target implies the description of quantitative meanings within cognitive symbolic semantics of graphemes - hieroglyphic signs and lexemes - verbal signs denoting quantity in differently structured languages. The authors also investigate quantitative semantics of numbers in Chinese on the content of modern lexicographical sources and ancient Chinese texts, e.g., dictionary of. Partial coincidence of semantic parameters, as well as meanings and senses is revealed which is typical for both language and cognitive semantics of elementary quantitative units in Russian and Chinese. The revealed isomorphism of semantic parameters of quantitative graphemes - hieroglyphic signs and lexemes makes conclude on similar cognitive processes in developing number systems and their expressions in differently structured languages.