《庄子》哲学中的名与言

Ideas of Ming and Yan in Zhuang Zi's Philosophy

对名与言的考察,构成了《庄子》哲学的重要方面。以名实之辩为背景,名与言的考察既涉及语言形式与涵义的关系,也指向概念与对象的关系。与名实之辩相关的是言意之辩,后者所指向的,是言与意的关系。同时,对《庄子》而言,名言的作用首先表现为对存在的“分”和“别”,“道”作为存在的普遍原理,则以“齐”与“通”为内在品格,后者使道与名言呈现内在的距离和张力。“道”能否以名言来把握?是否存在非一般名言的把握方式?以上述问题为对象,《庄子》进一步展开了道与言之辩。对名与实、言与意、道与言等关系的辨析,既展示了《庄子》的多重理论视域,又表现了其思想的复杂性。

Discussions about ming(names) and yan(words) constitute an important aspect of Zhuang Zi's philosophy. Such discussions, against a background of ming-shi(names and reality), involve both the relations of words and contents, and the relations of concepts and the world. The ming-shi dichotomy is associated with the dichotomy of yan and yi(words and meanings), and discussions about the latter involve the relations of yan and yi. In Zhuang Zi, the ming-yan dichotomy functions in the first place to fen(separate) and bie(differentiate). As a universal principle, Tao has as its innate character qi(sameness) and tong(throughness), which creates distance and tension between Tao and ming-yan. Can Tao be understood by means of ming-yan? In an effort to answer this question, a discussion about Tao and yan unfolds in Zhuang Zi. The discussions about the relations of ming and shi, yan and yi, and Tao and yan point to the exploration of diverse theoretical domains in Zhuang Zi, revealing its complex thinking.