The relationship between "speech" and "meaning" The relationship between "speech" and "meaning" in the pre-Qin period attracted the attention of many thinkers as early as the pre-Qin period. For example, Mozi Xia Jing said: "Words are the best contradiction, contradiction." Another example of criticizing the view that "words" can correctly express "meaning" is Mozi Jing Shuo Shang, which says: "What you see and what you mean can be argued with your mind." To be sure, people can understand and grasp certain meanings through certain words. This is a view that "words" can reach "meaning" and "words" are consistent with "meaning". Taoism, represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi, is skeptical or negative about whether "words" can achieve "meaning". "Zhuangzi Heaven" says: "The meaning of language is expensive, and the meaning follows. Those who follow the meaning cannot be explained in words. " It is believed that the Tao from which meaning comes is unspeakable and the Tao is invisible and nameless. "The reputation of the world is enough to win his love, and the reputation of the husband is not enough to win his love, so the knower does not speak, and the speaker does not know." In the Book of Changes, Confucius said: "Books are not full of words, but words are not full of meaning." It also admitted that "words" could not fully express meaning, but immediately added: "Sages set images to the fullest, and set hexagrams to make them empty." It is pointed out that symbolic divination can make up for the deficiency of "words" in expressing "meaning" and show a harmonious view. "Zhuangzi Foreign Things" also records that "the speaker cares so much, but forgets his proud words". This view does not deny the function of "speech" to express "meaning", but emphasizes that "speech" is based on "satisfaction" Just like "catching fish and forgetting the hoe" and "catching rabbits and forgetting the hoof", "speech" is a tool to get meaning. This view was further clarified in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, saying: "It is self-contradictory to learn from his appearance and abandon his meaning. So the ancients got their meaning and abandoned their words. Listen to the words and observe their meanings. What you hear is unknowable, and there is no choice between it and rumors. " During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, this complex relationship between "speech" and "meaning" aroused extensive interest and special discussion among metaphysical scholars. The basic ideological data of the debate between words and meanings in this period comes from the theories of pre-Qin philosophers. The viewpoints can still be divided into three schools: expressing meaning, expressing meaning incompletely and forgetting words with pride, but they have strong characteristics of the times and deeper ideological and methodological significance in theory. The "debate between words and meanings" in this period began with the discussion of the methods of character identification and comprehensive textual research on names and facts between Han and Wei Dynasties. According to Ouyang Jian's theory, Jiang Ji, Zhong Hui and Fu Wei all quoted the theory in Wei and Jin Dynasties. In their view, "the sky is silent and the four seasons are embarrassing; Sages don't talk, but learn what they know. The shape does not need to be named, but Fiona Fang has already written it; The color is not called, but it has highlighted black and white. " Therefore, "name is to things, inaction is also, words are to reason, inaction is also." This view developed to the extreme in Zhang Han of Jin Dynasty. In his view, in The Analects of Confucius, Zi Gong said that "the nature of Confucius' words and the nature of heaven are inaudible", which explained the truth of "the most refined" and "the more inaudible". Words can't be "reasonable" and can only rely on wordless "communication". Furthermore, he thinks that "people all over the world have nothing to say? "it advocates' words are more important than words' and tries to advocate' no tongue theory'. In view of the uselessness of these famous sayings, Ouyang Jian comprehensively demonstrated the theory of expressing everything. He believes: "the reason lies in the heart, not in poor speech;" Everything depends on it, not words, not arguments "("Exhausted Words "). Without words and names, people can't exchange ideas and distinguish the similarities and differences of words. He pointed out that there is no natural name for things and no definite name for reasons. In order to identify people and exchange ideas, people "have different names" and "establish their own names" according to different things and rationality. Therefore, "name moves in things, words change because of reason", and the relationship between them is like "sound responds, form is attached to shadow, and cannot be separated" Name and reality, words and meaning are exactly the same. " Debate between words and meanings and the discussion of metaphysical ontology "Debate between words and meanings" is closely related to the discussion of metaphysical ontology. For example, Xun can, the son of Xun, a famous counselor of Cao Wei, said that to be a good Taoist, he thought that sex and the sage of heaven could not be obtained and could not be heard. He put forward different meanings to the statement that "the sage makes the best use of the image" in Yi Zhuan Cohesion, and thought: "Those who cover up the truth are not physical acts." Therefore, "the intention is beyond the image, the words on the table are solid but not out." "Although there are six books, they are the chaff of saints. Show extreme ambiguity. At the same time, Wang Bi, a famous metaphysical scholar, said in the Book of Changes: "The husband is like an image, and his meaning is also." "Image is born of meaning, so it can be found to see meaning" and "nothing seems to express meaning", which affirms the saying that "saints set up images to express meaning" in the cohesion of Yi Zhuan. At the same time, he also absorbed the viewpoint of "forgetting to speak proudly" in Zhuangzi Foreign Things, and thought that "the speaker is like a hoof, and the elephant is satisfied". It further emphasizes that the so-called "image-keeper is not honored", "image-forger is honored", "image-forger is like forgetting words" and "image can be forgotten only if it is set to the best of its ability". This situation has something to do with his opposition to Han Yixiang's mathematics, and more to do with his "inaction" ontology. As far as the former is concerned, Wang Bi's criticism of the mistake of "getting carried away" has its reasonable factors. As far as the latter is concerned, Wang Bi thinks that "there is no training" and "Tao can't be embodied", so only "abandoning words" and "forgetting images" can be embodied. He thinks that "repairing books and abolishing words is a mistake", thus reaching a wrong conclusion. Guo Xiang, a famous metaphysical scholar in the Western Jin Dynasty, argued, "I have tried my best to teach, but I don't know if my loneliness lies in Xuanming?" Emphasize "forgetting to say a suicide note", and even further think: "The person who speaks from the heart has something, and the person who speaks from the heart has nothing. Therefore, seek it from the word meaning table, in a silent and unintentional situation, and then embarrassed. "
Wang Bi's theory of "being complacent and forgetting the image" is the most representative and influential view in the debate of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties. He not only laid the epistemological and methodological foundation of metaphysics ontology, but also had a considerable influence on Buddhism at that time and China's ancient artistic theories such as poetry, calligraphy and painting. When Buddhism was first introduced into China, it adopted the method of "Geyi" in translation and interpretation, and attached the name of Buddhism to the traditional concept, which was very rigid. During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, inspired by metaphysical methods, they also strongly advocated the "proud" method. A famous monk and Taoist student in the Eastern Jin Dynasty said: "If you like to do your best, you will forget your pride;" Words are understood and words are justified. " "If you forget to take the fish, you can only speak in words." In terms of literature and art, since the Jin Dynasty, poetry, calligraphy and painting have emphasized the theory of vivid and freehand brushwork, and advocated "the sound beyond the string", "the scenery outside the painting" and "the sound outside the text". These are also the embodiment of the idea of "getting carried away". Ouyang Xiu in the Northern Song Dynasty said: "Ancient paintings are shapeless"; Su Shi said: "The similarity of paintings shows that they are adjacent to children. Poetry must be this poem, and you must know the poet ",which is a typical exposition of this literary theory." "Later, someone criticized Wang Bi's theory of" getting carried away ". For example, in the Northern Song Dynasty, Shao Yong criticized from the perspective of maintaining the image of mathematics: "If you are interesting, you must have words, and if you have words, you must have images ... If you are born, you will make it clear, and if you make it clear, it will be meaningful. ..... You can forget your hoof if you get a fish rabbit, but you can't get it if you give up your hoof for a fish rabbit ("Viewing Things Outside"). Wang Fuzhi, a famous thinker in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, criticized from a theoretical point of view: "Image has no way out in the world", and "speech, image" and "meaning and Tao" are not unified, so "it is ridiculous to want to be detailed and slightly similar"? "Wang Fuzhi's criticism is more profound than Shao Yong's. Basic interpretation 1. Words and meaning. " "Guanyin Zi Jiu Yao": "The truth in the world is beyond words. If you know what you say is not true, it is above what you say. " "Lu Chunqiu Li Zhi": "What you say must be done. The separation of words and meanings is fierce. " The explanation quoted Sun as saying: "Those' meanings' are what the last article said. Words and meanings are separated, and those who don't know what they mean are also known as' separation'. "2. Explain the meaning. The cloud "Book with Dai Jifu": "It's just a matter of heart, and I am willing to reply. ] A pair of important categories in the history of China's philosophy "Word" refers to words, nouns, concepts, arguments and writing meanings "refers to ideas, principles and purposes.