Abstract
In the pre-Qin classics of literary theory, "human" is one of the most important and fundamental concepts. First, the significance of human in the pre-Qin era is diverse. While Confucianism interconnects "human" and "benevolence" and emphasizes the kindhearted dimension of humanity, Taoism, under the slogan that "Man conforms to nature," stresses the unfettered nature of humankind. As an alternative voice, Mohism devalues music and underlines the principle of abstinence. Secondly, the pre-Qin philosophers consider language to be the specialty that distinguishes human beings from other animals. Specifically, Confucians advocate "to achieve glory by writing," "to pass down the classics," and "to be cautious about words," while Chuang Tzu is known for his literary strategies of "dwelling words," "opalescent words," and "goblet words." Among the Confucian classics, Book of Documents mainly contains the kings' instructions and announcements, while Analects of Confucius and Mencius comprise of dialogues and debates respectively. Among the Taoist classics, Lao Tzu features a poetic style, while Chuang Tzu is witty on the linguistic level. Thus, both Confucianism and Taoism recognize the linguistic nature of human existence and manifest it with the dualities such as instructions/announcements and dialogues, debates and monologues, as well as the poetic and the witty. Finally, Book of Changes starts with the trigram of Qian, which centers on human. This anthropocentrism indicates not only the paramount importance but also the transcendental mission of the human being. Given all the three aspects, reinterpreting the concept of human in the pre-Qin classics of literary theory, on the one hand, clarifies the misunderstanding of the word's significance in the Chinese context; on the other hand, it counterbalances the modern Western theory of "the death of Man" pronounced by Nietzsche and Foucault. The aim of this research, however, is to provide new ideas and methods for the reinterpretation of human on the level of Chinese hermeneutics.
First Page
134
Recommended Citation
Li, Jianzhong. 2019. "Reinterpreting the Concept of Human in the Pre-Qin Classics of Literary Theory." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 39, (3): pp.134. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol39/iss3/11
