The Philosophic Connotations And Cultural Values Of Wang Bi's Concept Of "Exalting Essentials And Disparaging Superficials"

Among the metaphysicists in the Wei and Jin Period (220-420), Wang Bi had the greatest influence on the development of Chinese traditional cultures who established a new metaphysical system focusing on "having no-being as the essence" by interpreting the classics of the Confucianists with the modified theories of Lao Zi, philosopher in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) and founder of Taoism. Wang summed up the basic ideas of Lao Zi's philosophical theories as "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials", which has important position in Wang Bi's philosophical theories.The concept of "Exalting Essentials and achieving Superficials", however, has also been advanced in Wang's metaphysical system. This idea contrasts sharply with another idea of his- "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials", which is considered as a contradiction lying in his theoretic system by some scholars such as Mr. Tang Yijie.The interpretation of Wang's ideas of "being", "no-being", "essentials" and "superficials" may directly affect the comprehension of his theory of "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials".In this thesis, the author traces the development of and analyzes the relationship between the ideas of being and no-being and that of "essentials" and "superficials" to state clearly the dual meanings of "no-being" and its relationship with "being" andthe relativity of the meanings of "essentials" and "superficials". The author has achieved a comparatively objective and all-sided interpretation of Wang's theories of "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials" and "Exalting Essentials and achieving Superficials" by distinguishing the "superficials" to be "Disparaged" from the "superficials" to be "achieved". Finally the author has drawn a conclusion that the theories of "Exalting Essentials and achieving Superficials" and "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials" in Wang's metaphysical system never contradict each other, which differs from the view of scholars represented by Mr. Tang Yijie..The theories of "Exalting Essentials and achieving Superficials" and "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials" are not contradictory propositions in Wang Bi's metaphysical system. The creative use in one theoretic system of the two concepts that are originally contradictory has made the two concepts oppose each other and yet also complement each other, which results in more comprehensive and dialectical intonations of these concepts.Hence we recognize that the two propositions are not contradictory statements, but interpretations of the same topic from two different angles and with different focuses.In Chinese traditional cultures, the debate on the ideas of being and no-being among the metaphysicists in the Wei and Jin Period and Wang Bi's concepts such as "having no-being as the essence", "Exalting Essentials and Disparaging Superficials" and "Exalting Essentials and achieving Superficials" have great cultural values allowing of no neglect, which have had a wide-spread and profound influence on the literature and literary theories in that period and the following Northern and Southern Dynasties(420-589), helped the mergence of Buddhistical culture of foreign origin into Chinese traditional cultures and later had a significant impact on a Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming Dynasties.