Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 5, 2024

The Concept of “Value of Original Meaning” in Chinese Philosophy and Its Structural Levels

(Abstract)

Li Jinglin

Chinese philosophy constructs its metaphysical system through the realization of Being, a value that unifies the principle of“affirmation” and “should,” which can be referred to as “value of the original meaning.” This concept encompasses three connotative levels: affirmation of the inherent value of things; the existence or value realization of human consciousness and righteousness; and achievement of unity with the surrounding world based on the concept of “cultivating things through selfcultivation,” thus realizing the inherent value and meaning of both things and self. Chinese philosophy understands the significance of Being or value within the framework of “heaven and man” rather than “subject and object.” It develops primitive relations with the surrounding world by means of modal understanding rather than objective cognition. The mindobject or objectself relationship within this “heaven and man” framework is premised on the “selfhoodness” of the existence or value of objects, demonstrating a unity of “selfcultivation” and “mutual cultivation.” The concept of “value of original meaning” in Chinese philosophy has immense theoretical implications for addressing the values and relativistic values resulting from the subjects’ unilateral imposition of meaning onto objects in modern society.