The Distinction Of Ming And Cheng In Wang Bi’s Point Of View

For the first time in the history of Chinese philosophy, Wang Bi made a clear distinction between "Ming" and "Cheng".In Wang Bi’s opinion, their difference lies in the utility on the expression of "Dao", mostly caused by two reasons:different origins and different charateristics. Apparently, the latter one is more fundamental. "Ming" tends to be certain while "Cheng" is more random. The certainty of "Ming" is the primary reason why "Dao can not be expressed by ’Ming’", but the random of "Cheng" is exactly the theory evidence of "Dao can be expressed by’Cheng’".By distinguishing "Ming" and "Cheng", Wang Bi denied the function of "Ming" but confirmed "Cheng’"s significance on the expression of "Dao". Thus, Wang Bi tried to break the dilemma of "Dao can not be expressed by Ming", which was proposed by Lao Zi, using his own way of "express Dao with multiple’Chengs’". Meanwhile, to some extent, the "distinction of’Ming’and’Cheng’" is convergent with his other discussion on "Mingjiao and nature", which can be deemed as the internal connection of Wang Bi’s philosophy of language and ethics.