A Study on the Symbolism and Interpretation of Chinese and English Alchemical Poetry: Taking Awakening to the Real and Twelve Gates as Examples

Abstract

Abstract: Symbolic representation has played a significant role in both Chinese alchemy and Western alchemy. Alchemical texts that carry these symbolic representations have naturally become excellent texts for semiotic research. However, in today's rapidly developing semiotic research, scholars in both China and the West have not fully recognized the symbolic representations and related interpretations in each other's alchemical (gold) texts. In light of this, this article attempts to explore the types, presentation methods, and similarities and differences in the interpretations of symbolic representations in Chinese and Western alchemical texts by comparing the symbolic representations and related interpretations in Zhang Boduan's Awakening to the Real and George Ripley's Twelve Gates from the 15th century Augustinian school, as well as subsequent annotated versions. This aims to fill the research gap in this field and expand the understanding of semiotics.

Key words: semiotics, symbols, Taoism, Awakening to the Real, Twelve Gates

摘要： 炼丹术与炼金术都是重要的文化现象。无论是在中国炼丹术还是西方炼金术中,象征符号都始终扮演着重要的角色。而承载这些象征符号的炼丹(金)文献也理所当然地成为符号学研究的绝佳文本。在符号学研究日新月异的今天,中西学者虽已认识到了炼丹(金)文献中符号表现的重要性,但是对相关文本中关于这些象征符号的表现与阐释的理解不够充分。鉴于此,本文试图通过比较宋代道教思想家张伯端《悟真篇》与英国15世纪奥古斯都派教士乔治·里普利(George Ripley)的《十二道门》(Twelve Gates)中的符号呈现以及后世注本的相关阐释理解,从而挖掘出中西炼丹(金)文献中象征符号的类型、呈现方式以及后世阐释理解的异同,填补学界在该领域的研究空白,拓展符号学的相关认识。

关键词: 符号学, 象征, 道教, 《悟真篇》, 《十二道门》

Lan Xing. A Study on the Symbolism and Interpretation of Chinese and English Alchemical Poetry: Taking Awakening to the Real and Twelve Gates as Examples[J]. Comparative Literature in China, 2024, 0(2): 83-96.

兰兴. 中英炼金诗符号象征以及阐释研究——以《悟真篇》与《十二道门》为例[J]. 中国比较文学, 2024, 0(2): 83-96.

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