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tl;dr: jjk 137 title Hard and White is NOT about sophism. It's about nothing is what it appears, and the way something appears is actually constructed by others.
1. Hard and White 堅白 is the literal translation of the ch title. It is NOT a mistranslation.
2. In Japanese
1. Hard and White 堅白 is the literal translation of the ch title. It is NOT a mistranslation.
2. In Japanese
there is the phrase 堅白同異, which is used to refer to sophism. Given Gege's past tendency to truncate four-word idioms for ch titles, it is reasonable to assume that 堅白 refers to this phrase.
3. However, if Gege wants the title to be sophistry or sophism, there are
3. However, if Gege wants the title to be sophistry or sophism, there are
other much more straightforward words he could have used such as 詭弁. Admittedly he might have chosen 堅白(同異) as a metaphor for sophism (in which case, Hard and White is the better translation, since it manages to capture the metaphor). But I don't think so,
4. because 堅白同異 actually refers to two philosophical ideologies. 堅白 (Hard and White) or 堅白論 (Hard and White argument) or 堅、白、石、三，可乎 (Hard, White, Rock, 3 different things) is an argument by Gongsun Long.
同異 (Similarities and Differences) is a philosophical
同異 (Similarities and Differences) is a philosophical
idea put forward by Hui Shi.
5. Gege used 堅白 and not the full phrase perhaps because he wanted us to focus on this particular philosophical argument.
6. The tenet of 堅白論 is that a rock is in itself neither hard nor white. A rock is not its hardness. A rock is also not its
5. Gege used 堅白 and not the full phrase perhaps because he wanted us to focus on this particular philosophical argument.
6. The tenet of 堅白論 is that a rock is in itself neither hard nor white. A rock is not its hardness. A rock is also not its
whiteness.
Hardness and Whiteness are properties that other people attach to the rock. They are not the rock. A rock is only hard when someone touches it. A rock is only white when someone sees it.
7. Given this interpretation of the ch title, in the context of ch 137,
Hardness and Whiteness are properties that other people attach to the rock. They are not the rock. A rock is only hard when someone touches it. A rock is only white when someone sees it.
7. Given this interpretation of the ch title, in the context of ch 137,
Yuta is the rock. He is NOT whatever we see in the ch. Those are impressions of Yuta that other people have. Those are what other people view him to be.
