Kant’s Theory of Schema and the Spatial Characteristics of Chinese Characters

Li Chengjin

Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2025, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4) : 66-74.

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Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2025, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4) : 66-74. DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20250407

Kant’s Theory of Schema and the Spatial Characteristics of Chinese Characters

  • Li Chengjin
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Abstract

Schema is the core concept in Kant’s Theory of schematism, an important part of Kant’s epistemology that forms the core of his “theory of schematism”. It has been argued that Kant’s Schema can be divided into two levels: the schema of pure concepts of the understanding and the schema of perceptual concepts; Chinese characters, in this context, should be seen as “living schema”. However, a close reading of Kant’s original texts, reveals that we can discern the various types of schemata that Kant differentiated, and they encompass three distinct types, including the schema of categories, the schema of perceptual concepts (as concepts about graphics in space), and the schema of empirical concepts. These schemas have complex relationship with image that is intricate and multifaceted, the role of the category of quantity in pure intuition is essential to understanding the complex relationships. Chinese characters possess spatial characteristics. When comparing them with the schemata of empirical concepts in Kant’s Schema Theory, we can find that they exhibit a high degree of isomorphism, yet they are not identical. More precisely, Chinese characters can be considered as representations of the schema of empirical concepts. From the perspective of the internal relationship between Chinese characters and schema, Chinese characters hold a unique significance for cognitive activities that phonetic script do not have. This unique spatial characteristic of Chinese characters provides them with an advantage over phonetic scripts in certain cognitive processes.

Key words

schema / image / graphics / spatiality / Chinese character

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Li Chengjin. Kant’s Theory of Schema and the Spatial Characteristics of Chinese Characters[J]. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2025, 10(4): 66-74 https://doi.org/10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20250407

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