A Study On Chuang Tzu’s Names

Chuang Tzu’s thought of ’Names’ as an important constituent merged in the trend of ’non-Names’ theories in the Pre-Qin Period, which initialed as a counterpart of ’rectification of name’with the original purpose to overcome the social problems. This thesis concerns Chuang Tzu’s thought of Names as the study object, and applies the approach of cultural interpretation to Chuang Tzu’s Names as well, which makes a basic distinction and respective interpretations of Chuang Tzu’s Names as ’names of thing’ and ’names of value’, and on this basic also a further elucidation of Chuang Tzu’s thought of ’non-Names’.In the First Chapter, I will mainly identify primary meanings of Chuang Tzu’s Names by which extract passages of Names from Chuang Tzu, that is mainly, indicates the distinction of ’names of thing’ and ’names of value’ according to different use of Names.In the Second Chapter, I consider Chuang Tzu’s Names as an integral component of the culture in the Pre-Qin Period by which applied the approach of cultural interpretation to Chuang Tzu’s Names.’Names of thing’ indicates nominating people or things. Chuang Tzu acquiesces in the basic sense of Names with reference to sensation.’Names of value’ generally refers to the justification of people’s practical act, which constitutes the norm of morality and political orders. Chuang Tzu deems justification to be consequence of personal prejudices, therefore inaccurate, especially those of already formed reasonable and moral justifications, which lead people to do harm to the life and the nature for the sake of a good name.In the third Chapter I will account for Chuang Tzu’s thought of ’non-Names’ in three different order. First is the "names of thing" to the sensation. Considering his ontology and cosmology all things ascribe to the ’One’, that is Tao generates everything and things change countless, therefore the reference to things appears to be meaningless. Second is disapproval of ’names of value’ Chuang Tzu deems that it is the absence of evidence of ’rectification of name’that cause the sharp situation of the harm of life and nature, therefore suggests to resume the ’non-Names’. Third is to apply ’non-Names’ to the constitution of political orders and morality when confront the trend of thought ’rectification of name’. Chuang Tzu thinks ’High and One preserves himself and then others’,’non-Names’ in one’s cultivation and ’non-Names’ and ’Inaction’ in political orders.