The Complexity of Traditional Chinese Concepts - Illustrated by the Examples of “Qinqin” and “Earth”

中国传统观念的复杂性—以“亲亲”和“土地”为例

There is a trap under the research of Chinese concept. One concept can be expressed in multiple forms, and hence researchers might focus on one or a few forms partly, ignoring the complexity meanings inside the concept, which may result in a partial and misleading interpretation. For example, taking the concept of “Qinqin” (love the close), if a agent plays different roles, one’s acting pattern would change, which leads to a various understandings of this concept. In other cases, the Chinese concept “earth” is far more complex than the understanding which merely studying the characters “soil” (tu) and “land” (di). In some form, for example “community” (she), “earth” contains the meaning of sacredness and gratitude to the land. Therefore, when researchers study a particular concept, they should notice the diverse expressions of the same concept and be aware of its inherent complexity.

研究观念史存在着一种陷阱，由于同一观念可以被多种形式所表达，研究者容易只针对某一种或几种形式，而忽视了其他形式下这一观念的不同含义，从而在解释时出现以偏概全的误读。如“亲亲”这一观念，当行为的主体扮演不同的角色时，其行动的准则也是不同的。又如先秦的土地观，若仅仅研究“土”与“地”二字，是无法体察到，在“社”的形式下，土地所具有的神圣性及人们对土地的感激之情。因此，学者在研究某一观念时，应注意同一观念的多样化表达，意识到其内在的复杂性。