Discourse Coherence in Ancient Chinese Texts: A Case Study of the Tao Te Ching

Research Article
Open access

Discourse Coherence in Ancient Chinese Texts: A Case Study of the Tao Te Ching

Songyuan Li 1*
  • 1 School of Philosophy, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China    
  • *corresponding author 1440823524@qq.com
CHR Vol.67
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-115-0
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-116-7

Abstract

Taking the Tao Te Ching as the object of study, this research explores the role of chapter coherence in the study of ancient Chinese texts and its theoretical significance. Based on Hume's three principles of association (similarity, spatial and temporal proximity, and causality), the article analyses how chapter coherence helps to reconstruct the logical structure and philosophical connotation of the text in the light of the experimental interpretation of the sentence reading controversy of the Tao Te Ching. By analysing the sentence-reading controversies of the passages ‘Namelessness is the beginning of heaven and earth; name is the mother of all things’, ‘There is always no desire to see its beauty; there is always a desire to see its mere existence’, and ‘The Tao is impulsive, but the use of it is not in abundance’, this paper reveals how chapter coherence helps to reconstruct the logical structure and philosophical connotation of the text, and explores its deeper significance for understanding Laozi's philosophical ideas of ‘to have’ and ‘to have not’. The study suggests that although sentence reading may affect readers' intuitive understanding, chapter coherence analysis allows for a more rational treatment of the text, optimising its readability while preserving its core philosophical connotations. In addition, the article also explores the value of chapter coherence research in the interpretation of implicit logical relations in ancient Chinese, pointing out its importance in lowering the threshold of textual comprehension and facilitating the dissemination of ancient ideas.

Keywords:

Discourse coherence relationship, languages, Tao Te Ching, Hume

Li,S. (2025). Discourse Coherence in Ancient Chinese Texts: A Case Study of the Tao Te Ching. Communications in Humanities Research,67,7-11.
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References

[1]. Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2]. Hoek J, Zufferey S, Evers-Vermeul J, et al. Cognitive complexity and the linguistic marking of coherence relations: A parallel corpus study[J]. Journal of pragmatics, 2017, 121: 113-131.

[3]. Taboada M, de los Ángeles Gómez-González M. Discourse markers and coherence relations[J]. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 2012, 6(1-3): 17-41.

[4]. Chen Guying. Modern Annotations and Translations of Laozi [M]. Zhonghua Book Company: Beijing, July 7,2020 :1. (In Chinese)

[5]. Laozi. Tao Te Ching [M]. Translated by Li Ruoshui. China Overseas Chinese Publishing House: Beijing,2014.03.01:1.(In Chinese)

[6]. Edkins, J. Dr. James Legge. [N]. North China Herald, 1898(4).

[7]. Yeh C. The relationship of cohesion and coherence: A contrastive study of English and Chinese[J]. Journal of language and linguistics, 2004, 3(2): 243-260.

[8]. Yip, P. & Rimmington, D.(1997). Chinese: An essential grammar. London: Routledge.

[9]. Li, C. N. & Thompson, S. A. (1981). Mandarin Chinese: A functional reference grammar.Berkeley: University of California Press.

Cite this article

Li,S. (2025). Discourse Coherence in Ancient Chinese Texts: A Case Study of the Tao Te Ching. Communications in Humanities Research,67,7-11.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICLLCD 2025 Symposium: Enhancing Organizational Efficiency and Efficacy through Psychology and AI

ISBN：978-1-80590-115-0(Print) / 978-1-80590-116-7(Online)
Editor：Rick Arrowood
Conference website: https://2025.icllcd.org/Boston.html
Conference date: 12 May 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.67
ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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References

[1]. Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2]. Hoek J, Zufferey S, Evers-Vermeul J, et al. Cognitive complexity and the linguistic marking of coherence relations: A parallel corpus study[J]. Journal of pragmatics, 2017, 121: 113-131.

[3]. Taboada M, de los Ángeles Gómez-González M. Discourse markers and coherence relations[J]. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 2012, 6(1-3): 17-41.

[4]. Chen Guying. Modern Annotations and Translations of Laozi [M]. Zhonghua Book Company: Beijing, July 7,2020 :1. (In Chinese)

[5]. Laozi. Tao Te Ching [M]. Translated by Li Ruoshui. China Overseas Chinese Publishing House: Beijing,2014.03.01:1.(In Chinese)

[6]. Edkins, J. Dr. James Legge. [N]. North China Herald, 1898(4).

[7]. Yeh C. The relationship of cohesion and coherence: A contrastive study of English and Chinese[J]. Journal of language and linguistics, 2004, 3(2): 243-260.

[8]. Yip, P. & Rimmington, D.(1997). Chinese: An essential grammar. London: Routledge.

[9]. Li, C. N. & Thompson, S. A. (1981). Mandarin Chinese: A functional reference grammar.Berkeley: University of California Press.

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