道家之道:基于类比的概念研究

The Taoist Concept of Dao: A Study Based on Analogy

作为中国思想标志性概念的道,一般被抽象地解释为万物的"原理""规律""实体"等;但中国古人尤其道家对道的论述却并非如此抽象,而往往是具体地作类比,比如:(1)道类比于空间或具有中空结构的事物时,指的是以包容或不控制为核心的行动态度;(2)道类比于制作工艺所遵循的度量衡时,指的是能普遍采纳因此不依赖执政者资质的治理标准;(3)道类比于圆环或圆环事物时,则是指以贯通性和周期性为特征的最高法则。可见从类比出发,要比诉诸"原理""规律""实体"等抽象术语更能揭示道概念在中国思想中的丰富内涵。而鉴于这些术语实际是迻译自西方哲学的舶来词,可知通行的抽象解释非但不能对道是什么做出揭示,反而表明中国哲学正陷于语言贫乏的困境,即离开迻译西方的抽象术语,几乎没办法以哲学的语言谈论中国思想。但以类比为视角,或将为摆脱语言贫乏的制约提供途径,那就是令研究者能绕开来源复杂、涵义晦涩的舶来词,为概念提供更为切实的说明。

Dao, a pivotal concept of Chinese thought,is generally interpreted abstractly as "principle", "law" and"entity" of everything. However, the ancient Chinese people, especially Taoists, did not discuss dao in such an abstract way. Instead, they used analogies when talking about dao. For example:(1) when it is analogous to space or something with a hollow structure, dao refers to an inclusive or not controlling attitude and action;(2) when it is analogous to the measurement followed in the manufacturing process, dao refers to governance standards that can be generally adopted and therefore do not depend on the qualifications of the rulers;(3) when it is analogous to a ring or ring-shaped objects,dao refers to the consistent and periodical ultimate law. It can be seen that the rich connotation of dao in Chinese thought can be revealed better with analogies than with abstract terms such as "principle", "law" and "entity". Given that these terms are borrowed from Western philosophy, it is obvious that the popular abstract interpretation not only fails to reveal what dao is, but that Chinese philosophy is in trouble for limited language expressions, namely, it is almost impossible to talk about Chinese thought in philosophical language without employing the abstract terms borrowed from the West. The analogy can provide a way out of the constraint of language, enabling researchers to avoid those borrowed words with complex origins and obscure meanings and provide more tangible explanations for concepts.