中西文化视域中Being的双重含义

西方哲学自古希腊以来的一个核心概念Being的原始含义固然是一个逻辑系词“是”,但由西方传统对语言规范及其逻辑确定性的尊重使这个词上升到了世界本体和真正实体的崇高地位,从而使它带上了系词“是”和动词(及动名词)“存在”(及“本体”)的双重含义,体现了西方文化中逻各斯精神和努斯精神的统一,这是中国古代以农业为本的文化传统所难以理解的文化现象和语言现象。

"Being" Seen from the Perspectives of Chinese and Western Cultures: the Origin of Its Dual Meanings

The primitive meaning of"being",as a central concept in Western philosophy since ancient Greece,has been a link verb"be".Nevertheless,due to the respect of the traditions of the West for the lin guistic norms and logical determinativeness,the word"being"has been raised to the height of the th ing -in -itself of the world and real substance and thereupon,it has got the dual meanings of"be"as a link verb and"exist"as a transitive verb,thus embodying the unity of the logos spirit and the nous spirit in the western culture.This i s a cultural and linguistic phenomenon that cannot be understood by the Chin ese cultural tradition in which agriculture was fundamental.