Abstract：Abstract: Based on a corpus of Chinese doctor-patient interactions，and Spencer-Oatey’s (2008) rapport management theory and Confucian System of Moral Virtues, this study attempts to capture how doctors employ linguistic strategies to construct their professional identity and achieve interpersonal rapport in treatment discussions. It is found that doctors should follow Confucian moral order to construct their professional identity. The moral order includes five main elements: Reverence, Lenience, Confidence, Diligence and Benevolence. By displaying these moral virtues, doctors can build up for themselves a positive image, show positive emotions and achieve politeness evaluations. Besides, the above findings help establish a pragmatic mechanism for constructing professional identity, which adds a dimension of moral order to the analysis of identity construction in Chinese doctor-patient interactions.
Key words: doctor-patient interactions; professional identity construction; moral order; interpersonal rapport
