Confucius' Perspectives On Language

In this paper, the author would probe into Confucius' perspectives on language from the angle of Ren and Li, which are considered as two central concepts of Confucius' thoughts. The research concerning Confucius is innumerable with a long history and a considerable number of scholars who devoted most of their life to the study. They have almost exhausted every possible research angle with the development of the society, ranging from his life, the age he lived, his teachings, thoughts, ethics, administration and philosophy. Ren and Li are two concepts that are most frequently explored by the literati and there is always the dispute that which one is of more significance in the whole system or, in another word, which one is more important. And the relationship between them is also the converging point of argument. And with the linguistic turn in 20th century, more and more scholars began to pay attention to Confucius' linguistic study. However, it is far from enough. In this paper, I would analyze Confucius' language viewpoints, together with the connotation of Ren and Li as well as their relationship. Thereout, I expect to discover Confucius' unique linguistic theory and its modern significance—the construction of a harmonious society.