The field of linguistics has been dominated by Western linguists for such a long time during which the study of linguistics in China has made seemingly a little progress. However, there is something noteworthy in anci...The field of linguistics has been dominated by Western linguists for such a long time during which the study of linguistics in China has made seemingly a little progress. However, there is something noteworthy in ancient Chinese intellectuals' thoughts for that they were also concerned with language phenomena while dealing with philosophy issues. As an outstanding representative of Confucian school, Xunzi had discussed the social essence of language, the relationship between language, world and people, and the development of language, etc. in his Zhengming, which possesses an enlightening significance on nowadays study of linguistics among Chinese scholars. Based on an overview of this classic works, this paper was intended to explore the linguistic view of Xunzi from two perspectives: the relationship between "ming" and "shi" (name and nature), and that between language and human thought. His awareness of language cognition was touched upon as well.展开更多
In China, Warring States Period was imbued with chaos of wars and the whole society was in a state of ferment. The disordered phase in ideological area, as the most direct reflection of the change, was characterized b...In China, Warring States Period was imbued with chaos of wars and the whole society was in a state of ferment. The disordered phase in ideological area, as the most direct reflection of the change, was characterized by that all the old ethical standard had been badly weaken, even failed to explain the moral facts. In terms of common people, they were confused and puzzled by the questions as "what is language?" and "what is the standard of speaking and behavior?" Some ancient scholars pinned these problems upon the reversal of "ming" (名) and "shi" (实). As a result, to rectify names and to clarify the name of ethics became a must for reconstructing the old proprieties and system. Among those scholars and thinkers, Xun Zi firstly proposed Zhengming to state the relationship between a name and the thing it represents in a systematical way. This essay only sheds light upon the reason of rectifying names: to distinguish the rank and differentiate the similarities and differences("明贵贱,辨同异")which is the must of "rectifying names".展开更多
文摘The field of linguistics has been dominated by Western linguists for such a long time during which the study of linguistics in China has made seemingly a little progress. However, there is something noteworthy in ancient Chinese intellectuals' thoughts for that they were also concerned with language phenomena while dealing with philosophy issues. As an outstanding representative of Confucian school, Xunzi had discussed the social essence of language, the relationship between language, world and people, and the development of language, etc. in his Zhengming, which possesses an enlightening significance on nowadays study of linguistics among Chinese scholars. Based on an overview of this classic works, this paper was intended to explore the linguistic view of Xunzi from two perspectives: the relationship between "ming" and "shi" (name and nature), and that between language and human thought. His awareness of language cognition was touched upon as well.
文摘In China, Warring States Period was imbued with chaos of wars and the whole society was in a state of ferment. The disordered phase in ideological area, as the most direct reflection of the change, was characterized by that all the old ethical standard had been badly weaken, even failed to explain the moral facts. In terms of common people, they were confused and puzzled by the questions as "what is language?" and "what is the standard of speaking and behavior?" Some ancient scholars pinned these problems upon the reversal of "ming" (名) and "shi" (实). As a result, to rectify names and to clarify the name of ethics became a must for reconstructing the old proprieties and system. Among those scholars and thinkers, Xun Zi firstly proposed Zhengming to state the relationship between a name and the thing it represents in a systematical way. This essay only sheds light upon the reason of rectifying names: to distinguish the rank and differentiate the similarities and differences("明贵贱,辨同异")which is the must of "rectifying names".
