Abstract
Ancient Chinese texts provide some striking examples of what may be referred to as non-linear textual structures. These peculiar textual structures differ markedly from texts organized in a linear way, that is, those whose constituent elements (chapters, paragraphs, phrases etc.) are connected like links in a chain. The constituent elements of these non-linear textual structures, in contrast, are related in complex multi-dimensional ways. These relationships are like those found between the units of a scheme (or diagram, map, table, chart, design, sketch, picture, etc.), that is, a class of graphic representations designated in the Chinese language by the character tu. This implies that the interconnections between the constituent elements of the textual structures in question are manifested through appropriate non-linear layouts corresponding to a specific tu. Under these circumstances a text serves a dual function, that of description and graphic representation. In order to highlight the complementary facets of this textual type, I propose to define it as a text-scheme. This paper is primarily concerned with texts whose structures emulate ancient Chinese models of space, the latter characterized by a remarkable regularity and orientation to the cardinal directions.
The first draft of this paper was written under the auspices of the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Foundation. It was presented at the workshop Geschichte der Wissenschaft, Geschichte des Textes hosted by Einstein Forum, Potsdam & Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin-Wannsee, Germany (March 30—April 2, 1995) which I attended thanks to the financial support of the Einstein Forum and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. The revision of the earlier draft was completed under the auspices of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. I would like to thank Karine Chemla, Michael Lackner and Rémi Mathieu for their helpful comments on the earlier draft of this paper. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues who participated in the discussion of this work at the Ostasiatisches Seminar der Universität Göttingen on the 6th of June, 1997. This paper reproduces with some up-dates my earlier publication in the first issue of the Göttinger Beiträge zur Asienforschung (Göttingen Asiatic Studies) journal (2001). I am truly thankful to the editors of the journal for having granted their permission for its reproduction. My special thanks to John Moffett for corrections of my English, as well as for his valuable comments. Any mistakes found in this paper are my own responsibility.
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Dorofeeva-Lichtmann, V. (2004). Spatial Organization of Ancient Chinese Texts (Preliminary Remarks). In: Chemla, K. (eds) History of Science, History of Text. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 238. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2321-9_1
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