1) “On Pointing & Thing”( , zhǐ wù lùn ; ZWL) consists of treatise style, not of
conversation format. But a conversation format is found inside ZWL. It is composed of
"thesis - antithesis - 2 theses - antithesis - 2 theses".
ZWL is very short. Moreover there are few words. Because most sentences include
negatives like “ ”, or particles such as “ ”. And only
several words carry information - “ “ etc.
So the information ZWL contains is restricted strictly. There are only three or four
sentences that deliver theory. ZWL repeats that sentences such form as a double negation,
quotation, sequencing of last word or phrase. Therefore it is very difficult to analyze
ZWL.
The ' ' is essential, but it has two meanings ; ① pointing, ② pointed. If we apply
the two meanings to " , , ", there are too many number of cases. So
the small text of ZWL is all in a tangle.
2) My tactics to analyse knotty ZWL are three ;
⑴ Classifying ZWL text according to thesis & antithesis. Then I can divide it as 7
parts, 22 sentences.
⑵ Argument by sequencing of last word or phrase ; An author of ZWL uses ‘~ ’
style paragraph to quote the last word or phrase of former sentence. Quotations make
sequence. This argumentation is not a logic, but a rhetoric.
⑶ Grammatical substitution ; It is quite important to understand the construction &
meaning of ZWL that I transpose the words or phrases grammatically. For example, '
' substitutes ‘ ’, since double negation such as ' ' is eliminated.
3) It is simple of the content of ZWL to be grasped by that tactics. ZWL author
argues the existence of ‘ ’(= ) which is neither subject( ) nor object( ), but
is the spot that subject & object meet. Pointing( ) is perceiving, i.e. function of subject.
The target of pointing-perceiving is the attributes of thing( ), not the thing
itself(substance).
For instance, here is a stone, stone itself is not perceived, only the attributes such as
'hard, white, etc' are perceived. ('stone itself' is constructed by mind with attributes.) ZWL
author take ‘ ’ as a attribute. 'Thing-pointed'( ) is the attributes of thing. The
attribute consists itself independently of subject or object. This is a attributive universalism.
The opponent deny the existence of . His basic assertion is ‘ ,
’. In short, he denies the existence of attributes of thing, and argues the thing
itself. Attributes such as 'solid, white' is the concomitant to the thing. Name is attached to
the thing. He lays stress on the universality of name. This leads to the Mohist realism of
thing.