A speculative Chinese etymology question for anyone who wants to comment:
The modern word 地道 (di dao) is translated as "authentic." The characters 地 (earth) and 道 (way/path) make me wonder if it implies "way of the earth" or something similar.
If this is so, the second question would be which meaning of earth? Would it be the romanticized ideal of pragmatic common folk wisdom? Would it be the idea of earth-works, objects built up and used for dwelling? Or would it be Earth-in-contrast-to-Tian (Sky), and the 道 Way of Earth is to nurture and cultivate things, allowing them to come into realization?
The answer I've found so far suggests none of these. One additional translation of 地道 is "from a place known for the product." This answer is, more than any of the ones suggested above, seems correct. This etymology depends more on understanding the unique and local relations that would have been active in discourse and trade. Relations - knowing where something comes from, knowing its character, and being able to determine whether a product is "genuine" would have been a significant element in Chinese inter-city trade.
The first three answers all suggest Western strategies of analysis: (1) folk-romanticism; (2) some kind of object-oriented pragmatism (as might be found in Heidegger); or (3) a "metaphysical" worldview that appeals to cosmic principle. My suspicion is that the term "authentic" evolved from trading practices, as described in the fourth answer. Understanding relations has always been a key element in understanding Chinese thought, and it makes sense in this context as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment