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‘Mankeum’ in the Comparative and Figurative Construction Song, Hong-kyu This paper showed that the comparative construction and the figurative construction have certain differences even though they look very similar in superficial structure. First, when the construction formed with ‘mankeum’ is construed as a figurative meaning the degree predicates are understood as having an absolute meaning, but as long as the predicates are understood as having a relative meaning the construction formed with ‘mankeum’ is analyzed as the comparative construction. Also, unlike the comparative construction, the figurative object of the figurative construction is not a necessary element but an optional element. Second, in the comparative construction, the comparative subject has the same degree as the comparative object with respect to the comparative content expressed by the predicate. However, the figurative construction usually takes the figurative object which is superior than the figurative subject in the degree related to the figurative content. Third, whereas the comparative construction cannot take a degree adverb, the figurative construction can take a degree adverb. Based on these observations, it has been claimed that the noun phrase with ‘mankeum’; in the figurative construction has a function expressing that an evaluation about a certain subject made by the speaker is an undeniable fact. Thus, the noun 538․한어문교육 제27집 phrase with ‘mankeum’ functions like a type of modal adverb which expresses the speaker's confirmation to the hearer that the information he informs to the hearer is true.