Abstract

In this dissertation, two theses are discussed. The first thesis is that the yin and yang of the Yijing are not concepts but images. The second thesis is that the gua is a metaphor, which comes from the images of the yin and yang. Their imaginal meaning would be lost if the yin and yang are considered as concepts. And, the hexagram must be treated as a metaphor, which is the harmonious product of the images of the yin and yang. ;To prove these arguments, I criticize Hellmut Wilhelm and T. Izutsu's arguments on the relation between concept and image, while regarding Wang Bi's philosophy of "idea" as a conceptual reductionism. Further, I research why hexagram should be understood by metaphor, for which I use the notions of parallelism, correlativism, and particularism. ;To support my arguments, I make a suggestion to use Charles Sanders Peirce's theory of signs, in which metaphor is explained by the iconic development of images. Here, the notion of "icon" plays the key role so that an image can be considered as a metaphor. ;In conclusion, according to Peirce's general theory of signs, I regard the philosophy of the Yijing as a semeiotic realism, because the images of the yin and yang are based upon the real "iconicity" of the world