Author(s)

Leyan Li

Corresponding Author

Leyan Li

ABSTRACT

Heidegger’s philosophy and traditional Chinese theories converge in the interpretation of the nature of things. However, due to the lack of relevance of any specific context, the theory of thingness itself fails to touch the essence of thought it wants to express. In order to find another entity so as to better understand the theory proposed by Heidegger and his way of argumentation, the Chinese Guqin (a Chinese musical instrument), with its unique and rich ideology and profound historical influence, has become the most suitable choice. Many texts around the Guqin, such as the works of Mohism, Taoism, Confucianism and contemporary researches, provide abundant evidence demonstrating that the Guqin music system under Mohist thought is unable to realize the nearness of things; Instead, the emptiness of Taoism and the fourfold nature of Confucianism establish the way of Guqin and reach its thingly character. This paper reveals a possibility to connect two different ideologie s- Heidegger’s philosophy and Chinese classical ideas- through entities, and offers an example for intercultural communication in the field of philosophy.

KEYWORDS

Heidegger, Thingness, Chinese Ch’in, Fourfold