“一画”论——汉字“指事先于象形”的美学理据

A Treatise on Yihua:An Aesthetic Justification of Why Zhishi Preceded Xiangxing in the Development of Chinese Characters

论文认为汉字起于“一画”、“一画”乃指事之根本,是汉字构造中“指事先于象形”的美学理据。“一画”既有数字义,又得自几何直观。指事先于象形,其根本即在于此“一画”所涵茹的几何学精神,它是“指事”所体现的范畴直观的一种呈现。超感觉的范畴,却以感性形态展现,将中国意识中范畴直观以图象方式表现出来。“一”字这一指事之“指”,或本为“手指”,但引向了“意指”的对象,却又是这个对象“一”本身,此正可表现指事作为范畴直观所具有的自指性与自反性。古人造物时的几何学认识,体现在各种建筑以及器物中,最重要的乃是以“一画”取得构形理据。在郑樵《起一成文图》和石涛《画语录》中,所论“一画”的根本地位和“一画”拓扑变形,阐明了“一画”构成“万物”的作用。“一”故与几何学中的“线”相关,但“画”却以图象学方式描述了汉字的具体形态。“一画”尤其重要在于,“一”先于“画”,蕴涵着“指事先于象形”的原理。中西文化中均有将“一”形而上学化的倾向,但是汉字“一”以几何学、图象学方式直观“道”的意义,却与西方逻各斯语音中心主义不同。因此,“一画”以其“一”几于“道”;以其“画”的恍惚迷离而廓张“道”。从“道”与“一画”的关系,可以更好地探究汉字的美学意蕴。

In this paper,we argue that the formation of Chinese characters began from yihua 一画( literally one draw,i. e. the stroke"一"and drawing). This way of Chinese character formation embodies the essence of the method of zhishi 指事( ideographic writing) and constitutes the aesthetic motivation for the idea that zhishi emerged earlier than the method of xiangxing 象形( pictographic writing). The stroke of"一"not only indicates the abstract idea of the number "one"but shows the concrete image of geometric intuition as well. The geometric foundation of the stroke,as an expression of the categorical intuition of the zhishi method,is where the reason why zhishi preceded xiangxing lies. That is to way,in characters formed by the zhishi method,the category transcending our sensation is displayed in a perceptual form,and the category of Chinese consciousness is visualized in an image. In addition,the object indicated by the stroke"一"may have originally been one of our fingers,which was then extended back to the number of"one",i. e. itself. This shows that the method of zhishi,as an embodiment of categorical intuition,possesses self-referentiality or reflexivity. The geometrical understanding of ancient Chinese people is embodied in various buildings and artifacts and the most important element in their achievement is based on the configuration principle embedded in the notion and practice of"yihua". In Zheng Qiao’s Qiyi chengwen tu 起一成文图( literally start from "一"and become text and picture,i. e. a picture and text starting from the stroke"一") and Shi Tao’s Huayu lu 画语录( literally painting words collection,i. e. a collection of remarks on painting),the fundamental position of the concept of"yihua"and the topological transformation of the stroke"一"are discussed,expounding the role of the stroke "一"in constituting"everything". The stroke"一"is therefore related to the"line"in geometry,but hua 画( drawing) describes the specific form of Chinese characters in an iconographic way."Yihua"is especially important in that yi precedes hua,which implies the reason why"zhishi preceded xiangxing". Both Chinese and Western cultures have a tendency to metaphysically change the concept of"one",but the Chinese character"一"uses geometric and pictorial methods to visualize the meaning of Dao 道( aka Tao,literally the way),which is different from Western phoneticism embedded in its logos. Therefore,the relationship between the concept of yihua and Dao is that the element of yi almost equals what Dao means and the element of hua depicts the notion of Dao in a pictorial but vague manner. An examination of this relationship can help us better understand the aesthetic implications behind the Chinese characters.