Space, Time and Quantification in the YiChing - (Bloomsbury Studies in Language and Cognition) by Yancheng Yang (Hardcover)

About the Book

An exploration of the conceptualization of time and space in in ancient China as expressed by the Chinese classical text I Ching.

Book Synopsis

This book explores linguistic representations and cultural conceptualizations of the relationship between time and space in ancient China, as expressed by the YiChing.

The YiChing, an ancient Chinese divination manual based on hexagrams, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classics and a foundational text for the Confucian and Daoist philosophical traditions. Its hexagrams represent the internal logic of the world or universe as a dynamic whole, alternating the processes of events based on the conceptual unity of space and time and their quantification.

This book is the first in-depth examination of time and space and their quantification in the YiChing from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. Through detailed analysis of motion and life metaphors, it argues that space and time, which in turn shapes how quantification is expressed, is a unified concept in China.

Offering distinctive Chinese perspectives, this insightful study deals with unsolved issues from experimental research in cognitive and psychological science to further expand the existing linguistic and cultural research field. The book compares the Chinese conceptualization of the unity of space and time with an asymmetric conceptualization of space and time in the West, making an original contribution to the study of space, time and number in language and cognition, and to the understanding of the history of Chinese thought.

Review Quotes

As the first in-depth analysis of the I Ching from cognitive linguistics, this book sheds new light on how this original text shaped time and space as an inseparable unity, challenging Western assumptions and opening up rich avenues for comparative research. Its interdisciplinary approach bridges ancient Chinese thought, cognition and modern linguistics.
Zaijiang Wei, Professor, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China

Yang's innovative analysis of the Yi Jing (Book of Changes), a canonical Chinese classical text, illuminates the conceptual unity of space, time, and number within the framework of Chinese cultural traditions. This scholarly monograph provides a unique Chinese perspective on these essential concepts, which are crucial for encapsulating human experience.
Xuesong (Andy) Gao, Professor, University of New South Wales, Australia

About the Author

Yancheng Yang is Associate Professor at Henan University of Science and Technology, China.