Hermeneutics. "the Book Of Songs"

This present dissertation makes a diachronic research of the traditional Chineseihterpretation of The Book of Songs within the context of modern Westernhermeneutics. With the modern Western hermeneutics as a frame of reference, thisinterpretation tradition presents three basic patterns: 1.the pattern of accommodatingthe text interpretation to socio-historical text;2. the pattern of accommdating toreader-interpreter(s);and 3. the pattern of cultural-anthropological interpretation.Focusing on these three patterns, this present dissertation falls into three parts.Part One consists of the first three chapters, arguing on the level of social behaviourthe development, characteristics and substance of the first reseach pattern: the firstchapter, by the generalizing the interpreting theories of Confucius and Mencius,discusses the feature and strategies of interpretation of The Book of Songs before theQin Dynasty;the second chapter makes a case study of Zuozhuan to exemplify theabove-mentioned theories;the third chapter then shows the systematixation of thistradition from the Han Dynasty throug the Tang Dynasty.The second pattern was aimed at contemporary socio-ideological construction,while the second pattern is mainly a self-interpretation pointing to the cultivation ofone's mind-nature.The first two sections of the fourth chapter, from the perspective ofnative tradition, foreign culture factors as well as the infulence of science andtechnology, is devoted to the establishment of the interpretation tradition in the SongDynasty;and the following two sections, taking Zhuxi's Shijizhuan for example,explains the characteristic meaning-production of the second pattern during thisperiod. Part three, composed of the fifth chapter, gives a brief account of concernedscholarship in the Western world, stating the significance and contribution ofcultural-anthropology;then makes an intensive study of Xing and myth in the Book ofSongs, explaining the different role of Xing both in the creation and the appreiation ofthis book.