In search for Mingjia thought–name, reference and referent in the Yinwenzi

Despite being one of the few remaining texts that the Hanshu links to Mingjia, the Yinwenzi has attracted minimal attention from scholars. Doubts about its authenticity and syncretic nature further diminish its significance, particularly amongst Western scholars. The limited academic interest, which mainly focuses on authenticity and authorship, overlooks the text’s content and ideas. This paper proposes a radically different approach. Whilst acknowledging the concerns raised, it argues that they are insufficient to definitively judge the text’s authenticity or its Mingjia status. This study then does not investigate the text’s historicity or linguistic coherence. Instead, it employs contemporary linguistics terminology to examine passages related to ‘names,’ ‘references,’ and ‘form/reality,’ addressing issues identified by Sima Tan as Mingjia. This approach exemplifies the belief that the text, even if not fully ‘authentic,’ offers valuable insights into debates within its intellectual tradition, making it worthy of analysis despite its disputed status.