Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.7, 2017

Western and Chinese Views of Categories Seen from a Linguistic Perspective

(Abstract)

Shen Jiaxuan

China and the West see categories differently. The West stresses that two categories exist only when A and B are separate, whereas the Chinese stress that two categories can exist when A contains B. Logically, the separation of A and B may result in their intersection, but if the relation between A and B is inclusive, no intersection is possible, as B becomes a subset of A. Separation is analogous to dispersion, but inclusion differs from continuity; although inclusiveness exists within the category of continuity, the two poles remain separate and are not in an inclusive relationship. Distinguishing between “separation” and “inclusion” can help explain linguistic differences between China and the West: in Western (Indo-European) languages and Western linguistic research, one tends to see categorical separation, but the Chinese (Sinitic) language and related linguistic research normally embrace categorical inclusiveness. The former views separation as the norm, and sees categories in terms of “being,” stressing logical rationality; the latter sees inclusion as the norm, and sees categories in terms of “there are,” emphasizing the consistency of logical and historical rationality. Distinguishing between these two views provides a better interpretation of Chinese concepts and a better explanation of differences between China and the West in terms of thought, behavior and culture.