“比兴”与“比喻”——中西两个概念理论旨趣的差异及其成因

‘Metaphor to Start a Poem' and ‘Rhetorical Comparison': Their Difference between Chinese and Western Theoretical Intents and Its Causes

中国诗学中所说的"比兴"与西方诗学所说的"比喻"在修辞运作上都是"用相似或相关的事物进行比附",但是两者也存在明显的差异。就修辞指向而言,"比兴"是在主观思想与可见的外在事物之间架起一座桥梁,"心—物关系"是理解"比兴"的关键所在;"比喻"处理的则是名与实的关系,即知识如何得以表达的问题。中国诗学有重"兴"抑"比"的倾向,其实质是要求在"比兴"的使用中,尽量避免意义的过于直白,营造一种委婉含蓄,"言有尽而意无穷"的美学效果;西方的"比喻"研究特别重视隐喻,是因为看重隐喻在对世界进行命名,以及通过语言进入存在深处时所起的重要作用。"比兴"与"比喻"两个概念表现出的差异,正是中西方文化差异性具体而微的体现,具有深刻的文化哲学内涵。

The metaphor to start a poem in Chinese poetry is similar to the rhetorical comparison of the western poetry because both of them make use of similar or relevant things to draw an analogy in rhetoric, but they have some obvious difference yet. With regards to the rhetoric direction, the metaphor to start a poem is to bridge subjective ideas and objective things, and the relationship between mind and thing is the key point in understanding the conception of the metaphor to start a poem; while rhetorical comparison deals with the relationship between name and referent, i.e. how knowledge is expressed suitably. Chinese poetry has a tendency to emphasize how starting a poem instead of using rhetorical comparison, in order to escape from saying plainly in applying metaphor and achieve an aesthetic tactful effect in short but meaningful expression. However, the western poetry study emphasizes metaphor for its important function in entering deep place with language when naming things of the world. The difference between the metaphor to start a poem and the rhetorical comparison is just a concrete presentation in detail of the difference between Chinese and Western cultures, with some deep cultural philosophical concent.