Chinese Semiotic Thoughts in the Pre-imperial Age

This book examines the relationship between sign and meaning in the Pre-Imperial period of China from a semiotic perspective, highlighting the semiotic nature of Chinese civilization and the insights of major philosophers. It provides insights into the formation of a sign system and emphasizes the wholeness and associativity of observing things and studying relevant signs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 12 January 2024
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This book delves into the relationship between sign and meaning in the Pre-Imperial period of China from a semiotic perspective. While China did not develop a comprehensive semiotics system during this time, it exhibited a high level of semiotic sophistication. The thinking and application of signs by the Chinese people can be traced back to various classics, such as The Book of Changes, The Analects of Confucius, Tao De Jing, and Zhuangzi. This book begins by re-examining the semiotic thoughts found in The Book of Changes and explores the ideas of prominent philosophers from different schools. It sheds light on the findings of these philosophers regarding the relationship between sign and meaning. In particular, it focuses on how the coexistence of various semiotic thoughts contributed to the formation of a sign system. Furthermore, the book emphasizes the holistic and associative nature of observing things and studying relevant signs among the Chinese people. As the first monograph in any language to comprehensively summarize Chinese semiotic thought during the Pre-Imperial period, this book plays a crucial role in promoting an understanding of traditional Chinese culture and mindset.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789819959853
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023