Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2014 number 4

The article is dedicated to the problem of national specific of Chinese linguistic world pattern. Linguistic world pattern of any nation represents the verbalization of conceptual world pattern, based on a system of world outlook categories expressing conception about main components and aspects of human vital functions peculiar to this culture: human’s place in the world, social relationships, spiritual life and human world values, nature and its objects’ organization. The author pays attention that peculiarity of Chinese worldview depends not only on natural conditions of living but on the original cast of mind. Sinologists characterize Chinese way of thinking as right hemispheric, correlative, symbolic and associative. Chinese thinking is devoid of abstractions, it is mainly adjusted to direct perception, details allocation and using of analogies. Visual perception is dominant for Chinese and it is also not less important peculiarity. These exact peculiarities of thought activity have determined the importance of various classification systems running through Chinese culture and having effect on language. The typical example of these categories is number categories, reviewed by the author. In Chinese culture all numerical series from one to ten considered to be ponderable and comprehensible and served as a basis for multivariate classification constructions. All numbers are functionally relevant: they have either ritual sacral function or serve as an instrument for human perception improvement. The most valuable symbolic numbers are two, three, four, five, eight and nine. In Chinese culture all numerical series from one to ten considered to be ponderable and comprehensible not only with relation to numerical value. In spite of its archaism numerical categories and related symbols still determine many life aspects of contemporary Chinese including rituals connected with apartment choosing, buying/selling and settling.