Author ｜
Wenxin Bao
Abstract ｜
The idea of “history—progress” can be considered as a complex of ideas. The study of the history of ideas should analyze the units that constitute this complex and further examine other complexes in which the idea of progress was involved. In examining these interrelated complexes of units, the semantic evolution of the Chinese word combination Jin—bu/Jinbu 進—步/進步 is an important clue. Within this vision, we can start an investigation into the history of ideas, focusing on groups of idea in light of polysemy. This investigation is carried out from three perspectives: semantics, customs, and lexicalization. Semantically, the ancient Chinese word combination Jin—bu originally expressed the natural experience of physical movement. It evolved to acquire the classical metaphorical meaning of “self-progress” primarily in the traditional context of self-cultivation. By acting as a mapping mediator, this classical meaning became the hermeneutic background for modern Chinese to understand the idea of “history-progress.” At the same time, the classical idea of “self-progress” was re-embedded in the modern context and evolved into the modern idea of “self-progress.” In terms of customs, the classical idea of “self-progress” was primarily rooted in the world of the traditional cultural-political elite, while the idea of “history-progress” reflected the complex temporal experience of modern China’s history. From the perspective of lexicalization, the grammatical status of “進—步” in ancient Chinese was unclear, but in modern Chinese, the lexicalization of “進步” is nearly complete. Additionally, the idea of “進—步/進步” has undergone a significant cultural rise.
keywords ｜
semantics, customs, lexicalization, self, history