On Laozi and Zuangzi's Taoist Philosophy of Language

Taoism,in essence,aims at revealing the limitations of human civilization.As to its philosophy of language,Taoist thinks that language only has limited political impact.Laozi suggests that language plays a limited role in the understanding of existence.Guided by his thoughts on appropriate speech,to experience without abstraction is proposed as a to cure the society.Zhuangzi developed Laozi's thoughts by explicating the relationship between words and meaning,between naming and objects.Zhuangzi's three ways of is to ease the tension between speech and the way in Laozi's philosophy.Viewpoints on the significance of language upheld by Zhuangzi and his disciples are marked by a drastic turn to the subjectivity of speech-makers.Social aspects of language function and objectivity of evaluation are eroded.