“轮扁斫轮”寓言与中国古代言意关系

The Fable of "Lun Bian Chopping Wheels" and Views on the Relationship between Words and Meaning in Ancient China

《庄子·天道》篇中谈到了"轮扁斫轮"的寓言故事,陈玄英和郭象对此注解未能阐明庄子本来意图,有失偏颇。庄子通过此则寓言故事实为阐明"道"的显现与不可传授特性,这一阐述引起了西方学者宇文所安先生的关注,提出语言不可传达最最重要的东西的说法。这一说法正好与中国古代学者们对于言能否尽意的探讨相同。可以说,道家对于"道"的思考也影响了后世关于言意关系的探讨。

The Fable of ＂Lun Bian Chopping Wheels＂ first appears in Chuang Tzu. Tao. Chen Xuany-ing and Guo Xiang＂ s annotation fails to clarify Chuang Tzu＇s intended meaning. Through this fable, Chuang Tzu actually intends to clarify that ＂Tao＂ can be manifested, but cannot be taught, which has aroused concern of the western scholar Stephen Owen who proposes language can not convey the most im-portant things. This statement coincides with ancient Chinese scholars＂ discussion about whether words can fully convey meaning. It can be said that Taoists＂ thoughts on ＂Tao＂ also influences later generations＂ dis-cussion on the relationship between words and meaning.