: Geaney describes a cultural shift 2,000 years ago where a society valuing oral and visual balance transformed into an "empire of the text". Guide to Key Sections
The guide you're looking for refers to by Jane Geaney, published by SUNY Press in 2022. This work explores how the concept of "word-meaning"—content independent of a specific instance of use—first developed in China. Core Thesis and Arguments The Emergence of Word-Meaning in Early China: N...
: Establishes how yi (義) was viewed as an external standard, surviving even through major philosophical disputes. Part II: Yi (義) as Model : Geaney describes a cultural shift 2,000 years
: Examines the implications of ming (names) as something external compared to yan (speech) from within. Core Thesis and Arguments : Establishes how yi
: Rather than assuming "meaning" always existed as a concept, Geaney argues that it emerged as a response to the explosion of textual production and encounters with radically different writing forms like Buddhist sutras.
: Discusses how yi (義) provided accessible standards for interpretation.
If you'd like to dive deeper, I can focus on a specific chapter like the or explain the distinction between yan and ming . Which part interests you most?