TERMBASES
This refers to the rectification of what things are called so that name and reality correspond. A name is what is used to refer to a thing, which determines the attributes of the thing and its relations with other things. “Reality” refers to a thing or an entity that its name refers to. The name of a thing should conform to what the thing actually is. However, very often name and reality do not match in real life. To deal with this situation, the name of a thing should not go beyond the nature of the thing； likewise, the reality referred to by the name must not go beyond the scope that the name implies. The “rectification of names” is an important way to maintain the social order constructed by the names. Various schools of thoughts have agreed on the necessity of rectifying names, but they differ in their views of the concrete meanings of the names to be rectified.
Shi (实) refers to an existing object, while ming (名) refers to a name, a title or an appellation given to an object. A name is given on the basis of substance, and it cannot be separated from the knowledge of the substance. Names give expression to people’s understanding about the essence of objects and their interrelations, and the way in which they handle such interrelations. By giving names, people integrate all things and all objects into a certain order. The position and significance of an object in the whole system are determined on the basis of the name, title or the appellation given to it.
A general name is used to refer to everything in the same category. It is a term used by Xunzi (313?-238BC)，and its opposite is “distinct name.” A name should denote the nature of a thing. Things with similar properties can be grouped together under a “general name.” These, together with other things with different general names but still sharing some common properties, can have a higher-level “general name”. The highest-level “general name” is called “broad general name.”
A distinct name is used for a particular category or a certain object. It is used by Xunzi (313?-238 BC) in contrast with “general name.” A name should denote the nature of a thing. Things in the same category that have unique features can be referred to by “distinct names.” Subsets within that category with further characteristics of their own can in turn have a higher-level “distinct name.” A distinct name with the broadest reference is called “broad distinct name.”
“Unrestricted name” is a term of classification used by the Mohist School. It is a general name for ordinary things. The Mohists stressed the importance of properly naming things in different ways to reflect their real nature. They had three ways of naming things: unrestricted, classified, and private. “Unrestricted name” is most general, such as the name of wu (物thing). Wu is used to refer to all objects.
“Classified name” is a category used in the Mohist School for naming the same kind of things. The Mohists stressed the importance of properly naming things in different ways to reflect their real nature. They had three ways to name things: unrestricted, classified, and private.“Classified name”refers to the name for the same kind of things, such as the name“horse.” “Horse”is used to refer to horses of all different types.
"Private name" is a category used in the Mohist School for naming specific things. The Mohists stressed the importance of properly naming things in different ways to reflect their real nature. They had three ways to name things: unrestricted, classified, and private. “Private name” refers to the proper name for something, such as a person’s name that is used to refer to a specific individual.
An actual object should be assessed according to the name referring to it. Holding actualities according to its name was an important means for ancient Chinese to govern the state. In actual human relations concerning ethics and morality, every specific role or status had its name, which determined the character or responsibilities of that status. People with certain status had to be assessed on the basis of their status, and it was required that their actual words and actions corresponded to the character and responsibilities determined by the name of their status.
Names are established through popular usage. Xunzi （313？-238 BC） proposed this idea to describe how things are named. Xunzi believed that names fall into different categories, and every name is used to indicate a particular object. Which name is used to describe what or what kind of things is decided by the popularity of its use. When everybody accepts a name established by popular usage, it has become a fixed name for the particular object. This idea has also been used to describe the establishment of social norms.
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