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Cultural Signification and Philosophy Embedded in Chinese Calligraphy: A Semiological Analysis

Received: 26 March 2017     Accepted: 24 April 2017     Published: 22 June 2017
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Abstract

Chinese brush calligraphy has not only aesthetic value, but it is also fully loaded with semiological signification of Chinese qi philosophy. Adopting Roland Barthes’s theory on signs, this paper aims to discuss signification of qi in Chinese calligraphy. In addition, drawing on the Saussurean dichotomy of langue and parole as well as Barthes’s contention about signification and metalanguage, I argue that in the underlying langue of Chinese culture exists the philosophy of qi as a whole, whereas calligraphy is one of the genres for qi to be manifested and signified.

Published in International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11
Page(s) 88-94
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Semiology, Roland Barthes, Signification, Chinese Calligraphy, Culture

References
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  • APA Style

    Chen-chun E. (2017). Cultural Signification and Philosophy Embedded in Chinese Calligraphy: A Semiological Analysis. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 5(4), 88-94. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11

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    ACS Style

    Chen-chun E. Cultural Signification and Philosophy Embedded in Chinese Calligraphy: A Semiological Analysis. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2017, 5(4), 88-94. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11

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    AMA Style

    Chen-chun E. Cultural Signification and Philosophy Embedded in Chinese Calligraphy: A Semiological Analysis. Int J Lang Linguist. 2017;5(4):88-94. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11,
      author = {Chen-chun E},
      title = {Cultural Signification and Philosophy Embedded in Chinese Calligraphy: A Semiological Analysis},
      journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {88-94},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20170504.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20170504.11},
      abstract = {Chinese brush calligraphy has not only aesthetic value, but it is also fully loaded with semiological signification of Chinese qi philosophy. Adopting Roland Barthes’s theory on signs, this paper aims to discuss signification of qi in Chinese calligraphy. In addition, drawing on the Saussurean dichotomy of langue and parole as well as Barthes’s contention about signification and metalanguage, I argue that in the underlying langue of Chinese culture exists the philosophy of qi as a whole, whereas calligraphy is one of the genres for qi to be manifested and signified.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    AB  - Chinese brush calligraphy has not only aesthetic value, but it is also fully loaded with semiological signification of Chinese qi philosophy. Adopting Roland Barthes’s theory on signs, this paper aims to discuss signification of qi in Chinese calligraphy. In addition, drawing on the Saussurean dichotomy of langue and parole as well as Barthes’s contention about signification and metalanguage, I argue that in the underlying langue of Chinese culture exists the philosophy of qi as a whole, whereas calligraphy is one of the genres for qi to be manifested and signified.
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Author Information
  • Department of Chinese Language and Literature, National United University, Miaoli City, Taiwan

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