Zide: An Example Research On The Discourse Of Classical Chinese Literary Theory

Introduction: By thinking of the relation of language .image and meaning,we conclude the following three presupposition. (1)Ancient Chinese had been paying attention to meaning ,the meaning behind words.(2) Ancient Chinese had beenemphasizing "lixiangjinyi"( 立象尽意)------the way of expressing or generatingmeaning. Essentially, "lixiangjinyi"is needed for "zide"(自得, self-get).(3)The idea of "lixiangjinyi" was embodied by the history of literature and art. So "zide"is a key to understand traditional Chinese poetics.Chapter 1: The definition of literature in Chinese poetics should be essentially "the words of zide " ,which is determined by the fact that lyric poetry had been flourishing in Chinese literary history. In order to explain it ,we analyze "shishi(诗 史)" and "shiwuxie(诗无邪)". The former confirms our definition the latter grants the definition the highest meaning-----to say by one's own inner life.Chapter 2: All kinds of concrete discourse of ancient Chinese poetics is permeated with the spirit of "zide". With regard to Pre-qin, we can call the spirit "zide of use";to Weijin-Tang period ,we call the spirit "zide of emotion";and to Song dynasty, we call the spirit "zide of reason". Of course,this reason is full of emotion.Chapter 3: In spite of these, the concept of "zide"had not been used until Song dynasty. At the beginning of the using, "zide" should point to a firm meaning, and gradually, it points much more to unlimited meaning directions Following this logical clue, we collect data about "zide" during the period of Song dynasty andYuan and Ming dynasty. In the last years of Ming dynasty, the concept of "zide" points to the most uncertainty.Chapter 4: Wangfuzhi's(3￡^^i) "zide" theory should be thought as the summary of traditional Chinese "zide" poetics. On the one hand, Wang had a unlimited "zide" ,on the other hand, he stressed even more an object "zide". And it is also must be emphasized that Wang's theory is an emotional theory.Chapter 5: We continue inquiring into "zide"in a larger thinking background. We focus our attention on Confuciunism, and generally speaking, the spirit of "zide" is more a way of teaching and learning in Confucius, but in Mencius,it is a goal itself—the goal to accomplish oneself.Chapter 6: Let's go on pondering over the Classic of the Virtue of the Tao ( (it H*￡> ). In this chapter we draw a conclusion that "zide"is far from the way or mode of catching meaning ,and not only "self-accomplishment". Now, it points to the wholly meaning world which is happening.Chapter 7: On the basis of Taoism, we can consider again "literature as Virtue"(";fc;￡A$g")—a famous saying quoted from Wenxindiaolong ((X'bJ&ft)). From the point of view of philosophy, but not from the pure poetics, we should say that "zide"means a phenomenology eyesight. Because of this phenomenology eyesight, human-being becomes protruding.Chapter 8: We continue our work of analyzing "literature as Virtue", and we acquire a better understanding of it by the Heidegger's theory. In a sense of phenomenology, we have reason to compare Heidegger's Being with "zide". The distinction between them is easy to see. For Heidegger's Being, its home is in language; For "zide",its home is in the behavior of the Sage.Concluding remarks: Literature is founded upon Sincerity.