The First-Person in Classical Chinese: A Philosophical Elucidation of Its Meaning

Dong Ping

Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1) : 64-74.

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Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1) : 64-74. DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260106

The First-Person in Classical Chinese: A Philosophical Elucidation of Its Meaning

  • Dong Ping
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Abstract

From the perspective of actual usage shown in ancient Chinese corpora, the overlap of different first-person pronouns at various semantic levels indicates philosophically that as human beings carry out communication activities in different aspects of existence, the awareness of the self also emerges and gradually deepens in the process of interacting with others on different dimensions. In Classical Chinese, the first-person pronouns in the ordinary sense are primarily three forms: wo 我, yu予(also written 余,台), and wu吾. The pronoun wo chiefly denotes the self as externally manifested and set in contrast to others, with the meaning of the embodied “person” or “body” at its core. By contrast, yu tends to function as a more general term of self-reference, emphasizing the individual as an integrated unity of body and mind. “吾” does not truly emerged untilg the Spring and Autumn Period. It refers to the inner self and denotes the authentic subject. Its appearance marked a deepening of self-cognition and represented a new stage in the development of self-awareness.“思(sī)”(thinking, introspection) is the primordial capability of “吾” and the fundamental way for the subject to confirm the conrcete reality of its own existence, thereby restoring the wholeness of being. In this way, existence and value are rendered fully identical.  “毋我(wú wǒ)” (freedom from ego attachment) is an essential requirement for individuals to participate in experiential communication activities with the “己(jǐ)” (self) that roots in the true reality. “吾丧我(wú sàng wǒ)” (destruction of the ego with the Self) requires 吾as the subject to immune from the dualization of the “己” so that to keep the wholeness of existence of the self. The realization of “己” is not only the restoration of an individual’s reality of existence and the realization of the subjectivity, but also the realization of his value of existence in the current interreaction context, thereby unifying the existence and its value. Through the analysis of the usage of different first-person pronouns in ancient Chinese text, analyzing the function of si 思, and interpreting the meanings of wu wo 毋我and wu sang wo 吾丧我, this paper structurally reconstructs and expounds on the philosophical ideas embodied in the first-person pronouns in classical Chinese.

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Dong Ping. The First-Person in Classical Chinese: A Philosophical Elucidation of Its Meaning[J]. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2026, 11(1): 64-74 https://doi.org/10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260106

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