This ambitious book presents a new interpretation of Chinese thought guided both by a philosopher's sense of mystery and by a sound philosophical theory of meaning.

1. An Introduction with Work to Do 2. The Context of Chinese Philosophy: Language and Theory of Language Part I The Positive Dao Period 3. Confucius: The Baseline 4. Mozi: Setting the Philosophical Agenda Part II The Antilanguage Period 5. Mencius: The Establishment Strikes Back 6. Laozi: Language and Society Part III The Analytic Period 7. The School of Names: Linguistic Analysis in China 8. Zhuangzi: Discriminating about Discriminating Part IV The Authoritarian Response 9. Xunzi: Pragmatic Confucianism 10. Han Feizi: The Ruler's Interpretation Notes Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Index

Chad HansenChair Professor of Chinese Philosophy, University of Hong Kong

"Hansen contributes a much-needed re-assessment of Chinese philosophy....Hansen is refreshingly revisionist as his hermeneutic lays waste to such misconceptions as "THE Tao," transcendence, and unsayableness associated with dao-ism, as well as fundamental misconceptions about Chinese language and thought....His twin fortes are an almost surgical, positivist linguistic precision, cutting away at fat and exposing the bare bones, plus a holistic approach....Overall, the author's polysemous grasp of Chinese history makes his magnum opus an interdisciplinary resource, sure to be of interest to all students and scholars of comparative literature, philosophy/religion, and intellectual history."--China News Digest |k No