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A Study on the Meaning-Generation Mechanism of Bi-Xing in the Book of Songs: A Perspective from Representation Theory

  • Journal of Chinese Language and Literature
  • 2026, (102), pp.5~29
  • DOI : 10.15792/clsyn..102.202608.5
  • Publisher : Chinese Literary Society Of Yeong Nam
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : July 20, 2026
  • Accepted : August 13, 2026
  • Published : August 30, 2026

REN HAIDUO(任海奪) 1

1전북대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Bixing(比興), a key concept in Chinese poetics, has long been a subject of scholarly discussion. Previous studies have primarily examined it from the perspectives of rhetorical function and literary technique. However, such approaches have not adequately explained why the same bixing structure continuously generates new meanings and allows for diverse interpretations throughout its historical reception. Drawing on Stuart Hall’s theory of representation and his encoding/ decoding model, this study reexamines bixing as a mechanism of meaning production. To this end, it investigates the historical reception and processes of re-encoding associated with bixing, while analyzing how meaning is generated in specific poetic texts, focusing on “Guanju”(關雎), “Jianjia”(蒹葭), “Caiwei”(采薇), and “Taoyao”(桃夭) from the Book of Songs(Shijing). The analysis demonstrates that bixing should not be understood merely as a rhetorical device. Rather, it functions as a structural mechanism through which meaning is produced through the interaction of natural imagery, emotional expression, and readers’ interpretive activities. Furthermore, the polysemy of the Shijing does not arise from interpretive inadequacies; instead, it derives from the openness inherent in the bixing structure itself and from the historical processes of re-encoding that continuously reshape its meanings. The fact that identical natural images have repeatedly acquired new meanings across different historical and cultural contexts indicates that bixing has functioned as a cultural mechanism that enables the production and negotiation of meaning. By reinterpreting bixing as a structure of meaning generation rather than merely a literary technique, this study offers a new perspective for explaining the enduring polysemy of the Shijing. It also contributes to exploring the possibility of a structural dialogue between classical Chinese poetics and contemporary cultural theory.

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