得意忘言与言意之辩──兼论中国文化的符号学特征

On the Debate Between Wangbi and Ou Yangjian:a Further Comment on the Semiotic Characteristics of Chinese Culture

对意抬关系的探讨是符号学研究的实质和核心。语言是由“能指（声音、文字）”／所指（意义）”双面构成的符号体系。魏晋时期，王粥力主“得意忘言”，欧阳建首倡“言尽意”，对语言符号意指关系的见解都有其内在合理性。这场言意之辩，将先秦时期关于名实关系和言意关系的讨论推到了一个新的高度，对后世文学、艺术乃至中国文化产生了极为深远的影响。

From the viewpoint of semiotics, language is a system of signs and each sign is made upof the signifier and the signified. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is one ofthe foci of investigation of semiotics. In China, during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Wangbi putforward the theory ``catching ideas while forgetting words' and Ou Yang jian initiated the theory``Words exhaust ideas'' , and thus a debate was started between them. Both theories have theirown innate reasonableness and this debate had a profound and far-reaching influence upon Chineseliterature, art and culture.