Research On Wang Bi's "Analysis Of Speech And Meaning"

Wang Bi's analysis of speech and meaning lied in《ZhouYi Brief Example·Knowing Image》chapter. On the base of absorbing predecessor's achievements especially Ru,Dao about speech and meaning discussions and with the demand of age, Wang Bi wrote it. The analysis of speech and meaning was an important part in Wang Bi's philosophy with his"non-being as noumenon"and"holding the fundamental to conduct the incidental"metaphysics. So, when he discussed the relation between"speech","image"and"meaning", Wang Bi thought that"meaning"was the first important, primary, fundamental and mother,"speech"and"image"were derived from"meaning", they were meaning's tool and instrument. Because"Speech is from image, so watching image through speech; Image is from meaning, so watching meaning through image.""Meaning can only be achieved through image. Image can only be achieved through speech."In order to explain that meaning was the ultimate purpose cognition, speech and image were method and approach that we got sage's idea. And emphasized that if staying just speech or staying just image, we couldn't get sage's idea. Instead,"image"and"speech"would lose their meaning and value. So, at last Wang Bi confirmed the cognition method of"Catching meaning while forgetting image .catching image while forgetting speech.""Forgetting"was the unique character of Wang Bi's analysis of speech and meaning."Forgetting"was surpassing and informal ,this word displayed the innovation and breakthrough when Wang Bi explained《ZhouYi》, he paid much attention to elaboration of righteousness and reasons but not be limited to image-number . This noting classics method surpassed Han Dynasty. At the same time, the word of"forgetting"displayed the mode of Chinese traditional thinking's feature. Sage's idea at last was realized by individual interpretation, any speech would become it's obstacle .The word of"forgetting"reflected properly the subtle course. It revealed that individual acquired morality by interpretation in the course of complicated activities of man's mind. This was just Chinese traditional philosophy thinking's feature.Second, Wang Bi discussed the laws of the activities of man's mind to a certain extent. Wang Bi thought,"meaning"as our object of cognition was predetermined in logic, it was the unity of the form and principle and principle and image."Image is from meaning."So, the imagery which was from meaning wasn't as perceptual knowledge as our usually understanding, contemporary it was displayed about the understanding of the object of cognition's meaning. But this understanding wasn't completely self-conscious in rationalism, it was changed between image and meaning .This change must been develop higher understanding synthesis—speech. So, Sage's idea became language symbol which we could accept. This was the course of we understood and expressed the world. Speech was the result of man's higher abstraction, but it was limited existence, people using it couldn't make expressing the world perfectly a reality, Wang Bi realized it too. So, Wang Bi confirmed the understanding method of"forgetting speech"and"forgetting image". In fact, this was the surpassing and creation to"speech"and"image".Surpassing the formal part, and realizing the return of meaning. Just this surpassing and creation, displayed the creation of the activities of man's mind, and developed man's cognition.In a word, Wang Bi's analysis of speech and meaning had great vitality because it's abundant theoretical connotation. The principle and method of classic explanation which was developed in explaining《ZhouYi》,widely applied to philosophy,hermeneutics,aesthetics,literature,art and individual life and so on . So, the methodology principle of"catching meaning while forgetting image, catching image while forgetting speech."affected Chinese culture since Weijin Dynesty .