Abstract

The aim of this study is twofold:1 to investigate the exact function(s) of zhi 2,2 one of the most, if not the most, frequently used "empty" words3 in classical Chinese, in several major pre-Qin texts, and to examine it as a deictic word in a more general perspective than traditionally perceived. In pursuing the former objective, we feel strorlgly about following a consistent methodology by examining this function word exhaustively and separately in each individual text, in order to compare differences of usage, if any, across texts and to trace possible historical developments in its various functions. PreQin Chinese spans over one thousand years, and culling exam-

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