  Metaphor is widely used in human communication. The cohort of scholars
studying metaphor in various fields is continuously growing, but very few work
has been done in bibliographical analysis of metaphor research. This paper
examines the advancements in metaphor research from 2000 to 2017. Using data
retrieved from Microsoft Academic Graph and Web of Science, this paper makes a
macro analysis of metaphor research, and expounds the underlying patterns of
its development. Taking into consideration sub-fields of metaphor research, the
internal analysis of metaphor research is carried out from a micro perspective
to reveal the evolution of research topics and the inherent relationships among
them. This paper provides novel insights into the current state of the art of
metaphor research as well as future trends in this field, which may spark new
research interests in metaphor from both linguistic and interdisciplinary
perspectives.
