A Comparative Study Of Modal Particles In "Xunzi" And "Han Feizi"

Modal particles are function words that express subjective emotional attitudes.Xunzi and Han Feizi are representative of the thematic argumentative essays in the Warring States Period.Xunzi with gorgeous language style is good at argument.Han Feizi with sharp language style is good at refutation.The two books have similarities and differences in the use of modal particles.The formation of different language styles in Xunzi and Han Feizi is related to the use of modal particles.In terms of type and quantity,Xunzi uses 27 kinds of modal particles and 4083 times of modal particles,with a frequency of 5.42 %.Han Feizi uses 13 kinds of modal particles and 4229 times of modal particles with a frequency of 3.98%.The types and frequencies of using modal particles in Han Feizi are inferior to those in Xunzi,which is related to Han Feizi’s personal language style and factional style.In terms of syntactic,the common features of the modal particles in the beginning of sentence is that they can be placed at the beginning of single sentences or a compound sentences.The difference is that in the Xunzi,the modal particle "fu(夫)" can be placed in the declarative sentence,interrogative sentence and rhetorical question sentence.The modal particle "fu(夫)" has flexible syntactic positions,expressing rich emotions.But the modal particle "fu(夫)" only can be used in declarative sentences in Han Feizi.The common features of the modal particles in the middle of sentence is that they can be placed in single sentences or compound sentences.The difference is the difference in the use of individual modal particles.For example,the modal particles "ye(也)" and "yan(焉)" can be placed after multiple coordinate elements in Xunzi to make examples,make effect of interval pauses.The common feature of the modal particles at the end of the sentence is that it can be placed at the end of a single sentence or multiple types of compound sentences.The difference is how often the modal particles are used in different sentences,which reflects the author’s idioms and style characteristics.In terms of pragmatic,the common features of the modal particles in the beginning of the sentence are that they are placed at the beginning of the speech,and play an important role in the sentence.The modal particles in the beginning of the sentence can express subjective emotions,connect chapters and mark or transfer topics.The difference is that the modal particle"fu(夫)"in the Xunzi forms a fixed form of"fu shi zhi wei(夫是之谓)",which helps to summarize views.The common features of modal words in the middle of the sentence are that they have pause,soothing tone,lengthened intonation,chanting for the following discussion,marking topics,marking unfinished semantics,and making the content structure clear.The difference is that due tothe influence of personal style and regional style,modal particles"xi(兮)","wei(维、惟、唯)"and"ye(邪)"only can be used in Xunzi.There are differences in the pragmatic characteristics of individual modal particles in the two books.The common features of the modal particles at the end of the sentence is that the modal particles used in the declarative sentence have the functions of expressing the mood of statement,judgment,confirmation,interpretation,expressing the author’s subjective emotions and completing the sentence.Modal particles used in interrogative sentences have the functions of interrogating,strengthening the mood,and expressing subjective emotions.Modal particles used in exclamatory sentences express emotions of exclamation.The difference is reflected in the different roles of modal words in different types of compound sentences.In terms of rhetorical,the common features of the modal particles in the beginning,middle and end of the sentence are that they can increase the number of syllables to form symmetrical sentences,form dual and parallel sentence patterns,and help reasoning.Modal particles in Xunzi often form parallelism groups,and use examples to express opinion,use positive and negative opinions to make the reasoning clear.The modal particles in Han Feizi are often used repeatedly in reasoning to form a sharp,aggressive and irresistible argumentative style.