Characteristics of Chinas Hermeneutics—Also a Deliberation with Mr. Yan Chunyou

Viewing from its overall development,Chinas history of philosophy may almost be regarded as a history of classical annotation,in which thinkers evolve,establish,express their philosophic thinking in the mode of classical annotations and explanations,which has become a tradition.However,this mode unnecessarily includes objective annotation of the original meaning of classics,and the annotation by which the annotator desires to establish his own philosophic system.By the former,Chinas hermeneutics has the nature of methodological hermeneutics;but by the latter,the nature of Chinas hermeneutics is ontological.In fact,Chinas hermeneutics does not necessarily follow the route of Western hermeneutics which has the logic of methodological hermeneutics as predecessor of and followed by ontological hermeneutics.The characteristics of Chinas hermeneutics lie in the fact that its ontology resides in the methodology,with annotation as explanation as form and carrier,and with ideological creation as essential content.