Study On Conjunctions In Xunzi (荀子)

By means of exhaustive study and statistics,which researches on specific books enjoy,this thesis first establishes the conjunctions'range in XunZi(荀子) by having examined the conjunctions and other related words . In XunZi(荀子)there are twenty conjunctions,whose grammatical function and semantic relationship are in detailed described and analysed in the thesis. In addition,new findings that are absent in the related study of Xunzi(荀子) have surfaced through the present research on conjunctions .They are as follows:(1)"Er(而)",was considered that its grammatical meaning has many. In fact ,it has only one, that is a link. Various semantic relationships belong to the sentences with "Er(而)".(2)"Er"(而)'s another grammatical function is connect ing fronted object with verb . The front-shifted object is emphasized as a semantic focus.The differences between "Er"(而) and "Zhi"(之) are analysed from grammatical meaning and connotation, since the object can be shifted by both of them.(3) Er(而)between subject and predicate is connecting two sentences. Its grammatical meaning is a link. The semantic relationship of hypothesis belongs to the sentence with "Er"(而). Its role is to limit the semantic relationship of the compound sentence. The connotative meaning of sentence is that one should do something, but actually without doing anything . (4) "Ze"(则)between subject and predicate, is nothing but a conjunction,whose grammatical meaning is a link too. The semantic relationship of context is not hypothetical but coordinating . Its role is to limit the semantic relationship of the compound sentence which is coordinating.