On The Meaning Of Symbols

The symbol is a kind of abstraction, which is created for the referential object in human practice, with the given meaning; the most magnificent and special product,which come from the breakthrough of the space-time interval in human thinking and the description and cognition to nature and human; the most important form and approach to preserve and transmit the information and knowledge of human. People created the human world that is distinct from the physical world through the symbolic activities to make the world full of symbols. It is important for symbol study to explore the symbolic meaning because the symbol carries meanings itself and expresses them through activities. Saussure, a famous linguist, constructed the symbol meaning mode based on signifier and signified of the two element theory of symbols, by segmenting symbol to two sides with "sound-image" in the inquiry process of the symbolic significance. This achievement dispersed the mist which shielded the symbol significance and created a precedent in Semiotics. However, with the development of information technology, the symbol is rich in contents, as well as the specific object is constantly abstracted and signified, which all speed up the generation frequency of symbolic process and meaning. Symbolic meaning, transmission and explanation also has new features. Not only the symbol opened up a space for its own development by dichotomy and trichotomy, but the symbol meaning model must be reexamined on the basis of previous research.Therefore, the introduction of this paper mainly describes the necessity of reexamining the symbolic significance and briefly reviews the history and status of the study. The next chapter explains the symbol and related concepts defines the symbol and its classification, and makes a new explanation for characteristics, function and nature of symbols based on predecessors and combined with the current environment. Then it carries on an overall description for the generation, meaning, characteristics and development of symbolic significance. From a macro perspective, it generalizes, compares, summarizes and comments the existing typical semiotic meaning theory by the time order, which is based to analyze the elements involved by symbolic meaning and raise the hierarchical symbolic model. Once again, it analyzes the alienation phenomenon produced by the symbolic significance of current social and discusses the measures to remove symbolic alienation. At last, the paper summarizes the full text and puts forward the possibility to further explore the symbol significance model. It points out although the symbolic alienation exists downside, its appearance is the inevitable phenomenon of the symbol motion. Thus, only with a scientific attitude, we can find the right way to overcome the symbolic alienation.