Social Sciences in China, 2023

Vol. 44 , No. 3, 2023

The Genesis of “The Meaning of the Classics”: On the Objectives and Methods of Jingxue Hermeneutics

Abstract：In terms of the construction of meaning, what jingxue (study of the classics) deals with is precisely the hermeneutics of the Confucian classics. Jingxue hermeneutics is fundamentally practical statecraft; therefore,its specific objectives do not point to an objective existence unrelated to human beings, but to yi (meaning) or yili (principles), otherwise known as jingyi (meaning of the classics) or dayi (profound significance). “The meaning of the classics” is the product of interpretation. In jingxue interpretation, this concept is a process of construction rather than one of finding or discovery; it has different connotations in different historical contexts. In terms of method, the objective of interpretation changed from weiyandayi (profound significance conveyed through subtle words) to yijing liyi (basing one’s arguments on the Confucian classics) and thence to yanyi (deducing meaning). The method of jingxue hermeneutics also changed from quzhe chengyi (reaching meaning indirectly) to tiren (personal experience and cognition) and hanyong (deep immersion in the text). An in-depth study of the purpose, objective and methods of jingxue hermeneutics and their interrelationships can allows us to draw on them and stimulate the construction of contemporary Chinese hermeneutics.

Keywords：jingyi, weiyan dayi, quzhe chengyi, yijing liyi, yanyi