"Posits the origin of a specifically Chinese concept of "word-meaning," and sheds new light on the linguistic ideas in early Chinese philosophical texts"--.

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: General Context
  • Meaning, Sense, or Significance
  • Dictionaries, Translation, and the Idea of Linguistic Abstractions
  • Concepts of Word, Linguistic Media, and “Sociological Word”
  • “Immersed” versus “Abstract” Views of Language
  • Early Chinese Immersed Views of Language
  • Method and Interpretive Theory
• Part One Key Metalinguistic Terms and Yi 義 as External
  • Chapter 1 The Metalinguistic Implications of Words versus Names
    • “Name” and “Word” in Modern Scholarship on Language
    • “Word” and “Name” in Early Chinese Texts
    • Early Chinese Texts and “Words” as Units
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 2 Speech (Yan 言) from Within and Names (Ming 名) from Without
    • Trajectories of Ming 名 and Speech
    • The Physiological Trajectory of Speaking
    • Speech as an Expression of the Heartmind’s Yi 意
    • Counterargument: Ming 名 with Yi 意
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 3 Yi 意 and the Heartmind’s Activities
    • Reaching Internal Yi 意
    • Perceptible Yi 意
    • Yi 意, Si 思, and Lü 慮
    • Yi 意 in the Absence of Knowing
    • Yi 意 with Xiang 象
    • Yi 意 versus Knowing
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 4 The Externality of Yi 義
    • The Pervasive Externality of Yi 義
    • External Standards versus Internal Equalizing
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 5 The Resilience of the Externality of Yi 義
    • The Externality of Yi 義 in Self-Cultivation and Politics
    • Constellations of Binaries
    • Conclusion
• Part Two Yi 義 as Model
  • Chapter 6 Yi 義 as Model: Stable, Accessible Standards
    • A Sampling of Perplexing Uses of Yi 義 as a Way into a Solution
    • Yi 義 and Yi 儀 as Ordinary Material “Model”
    • Yi 義 as Models: Heaven-Earth and Yin-Yang in Zhouyi Commentaries
    • Yi 義 as Diagrammed in the Mawangdui Zhouyi Commentary “Mu He”
    • Yi 義 “of” and “for” People in Yi Jing Literature
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 7 Yi 義 as Model in Diagrams, Genres, Figurative Language, and Names
    • Non-glottal Writing and Yi 義
    • The Six Writing Models (Liu Yi 六義)
    • Figurative Language
    • Binary Assessments: Same, Different, and “One”
    • The Yi 義 (Model) of Names in the Zuozhuan and the Lunheng
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 8 A Framework Preceding the Shuowen’s Metalinguistic Choices
    • Anachronism with Yiyi 意義
    • Hidden Yi 意
    • Hidden Yi 意 in the Lunheng’s “Chaoji” Chapter
    • Accessible Yi 義 in the Lunheng
    • Buddhist Influence?
    • Yi 義 and Yi 意 in the Shuowen’s Myth about the Origin of Writing
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 9 Yi 義 Justifying with Models
    • Yin, Yang, and Yi 義 in the Baihu tong
    • Model Sayings That Authorize
    • Justifying in the Yijing
    • Justifying in the Guliangzhuan
    • Justifying in Other Texts
    • Wuxing 五行 in the Baihu tong
    • Conclusion
  • Chapter 10 Yi 義 in the Shuowen Jiezi
    • The Location of the Yi-Function in the Shuowen Jiezi
    • Tong 同, Similarity
    • Preceded by Zhi 之
    • Yi-Function as Intentions (Yi 意)
    • Yi-Function as Models (Yi 義)
    • Deficient Yi-Function
    • Conclusion
• Conclusion
• Appendix A Why Translate Yi 義 as “Model”?
  • Standard Translation Equivalents for Metalinguistic Yi 義
  • Advantages of Translating Yi 義 as “Model”
  • Materiality of Yi 義
  • Dyadic Yi 義 versus Triadic Signs
  • Using Yi 義 for Illustration, Emulation, and Instruction
• Appendix B Yi 義’s Externality in Dispute: The Mengzi and the Mo Bian
  • The Mengzi on Yi 義 as External
  • The Mo Bian on Yi 義 as External
  • Conclusion
• Appendix C Glossary of Terms with Aural or Visual Associations
• Bibliography
• Index