BENMEI I THE CLARIFICATION OF NAMES (WITH ADDENDA FROM BENMEI II)

Summary

Names have been given to things ever since human beings came into existence. Names were originally established by ordinary people for objects with concrete shapes. When it came to things without form, which ordinary people could not assess, the Sages gave expression to these and assigned them names so that even ordinary people could see and understand them. This is called teaching with names. Names contain teachings, and the Sages were respectful of this. Confucius observed: when names are not true then the order of words cannot be set. Thus when things are improperly named, the people will not be able to grasp their meaings to make use of them. This deserves careful thought.

When Confucius passed away, the Hundred Schools flourished, and according to each of their differing viewpoints, established various names. Thus for the first time names and things came to be confused. Only his seventy disciples protected with great care the views of their master and passed them down to the future.

During the Han Dynasty, each scholar chose different classics and each scholarly house similarly focused on different classics. However, while the teachings of each differed, in general they were all drawn from the teachings of Confucius' disciples, so that what was lost in one school still existed in another. By combining views, it was indeed still possible to bring names and things into close accord. This is because the views of the ancients were still being conveyed.