从自发到自觉:儒家礼学发展的传播符号转向

From Spontaneity to Consciousness:The Transformation of Communication Symbols in the Development of Confucian Ritual Studies

自发运用符号进行交流建构社会性意义活动是人类社会的基本特征,然而自发运用符号并不等同于符号自觉,关注符号与意义的关系才能把人类带入符号学的自觉阶段。就中国符号学思想史的演变而言,礼学的发展对其影响巨大。“礼”可以被视为一套表意符号系统,它制约着人的表意行为。先秦礼学经过礼的起源、兴礼作乐、礼崩乐坏及礼学形成等不同阶段。但只有在秩序失范的春秋时期,人们才开始思考礼乐仪式与文化象征等意义关系,这才意味着中国先民开始进入符号学自觉的时代。“礼制颓而礼学兴”,礼学兴而始有符号传播的自觉。本文从符号学视角进行溯源和分析,揭示了先秦儒家礼学发展的传播符号转向,为华夏礼乐传播及符号传播学的研究提供了新的启示。

The spontaneous use of symbols for communication and the construction of social meanings is a fundamental characteristic of human society.However,the spontaneous use of symbols does not necessarily equate to symbol consciousness.It is only by paying attention to the relationship between symbols and meaning that we can usher humanity into the conscious stage of semiotics.In terms of the evolution of Chinese semiotic thought,the development of ritual studies has exerted a profound influence."Li"(礼)can be viewed as a system of ideographic symbols that govern people's expressive behavior.The pre-Qin study of ritual progressed through various stages,encompassing the origins of ritual,the flourishing of ritual and music,the decline of ritual and music,and the formation of ritual studies.However,it was during the disorderly Spring and Autumn period that people began to contemplate the relationship between ritual,music,and cultural symbols,signifying the onset of semiotic consciousness among Chinese ancestors.The decline of the ritual system precipitated the rise of ritual studies,which in turn initiated a conscious dissemination of symbols.This article traces and analyzes the development of pre-Qin Confucian ritual studies from a semiotic perspective,uncovering a symbolic shift in communication and offering new insights into the dissemination of Chinese ritual music and studies in symbolic communication.