自《周易》开始,古代的哲人一直追寻心意与世界变化的融会贯通,力图把握心念与世界交汇的生发之“几”。因此,中国传统形上学可以视为追求心物同源异构的心通物论。心通物论从揭示《系辞上》的形上学意蕴开始,研究心与物交融实化的过程,并视意念与世界的交融之境为人与世界的缘生结合点。心通物论的主旨之一是运世,亦即运世之化而不为世间之化所运。人的意念总是在面对物化的困境,所以必须“实意”,使心念坚实,从己而不从物。运世之化的心通物论,便要揭示意向的境域本质,也就是意境作为关联交融之境的重要意义。
Ever since the Book of Changes (Zhouyi), ancient Chinese philosophers have tried to pursue the prevalence of intentionality throughout the many changes of the world, hoping to grasp the complex relation between one's original intention and the world itself. In this regard, Chinese metaphysics may be seen as pursuing "the concretization of intentionality", that is, exploring the connection between mind and the things or events which are causally connected. Hence, the Confucian theory of concretizing intentionality was meant to stress the metaphysical significance of the Great Zhouyi commentaries. The theory researches the way in which human intentionality relates to the world. It takes the original mind-world relation as the origin of mind-world continuity. One main purpose of this theory is to stimulate change in the world, to single out our own intention as a primary mover, rather than allow ourselves to be slaves to our own devices. In short, this Confucian theory of concretizing intentionality highlights the significance of the mind-world relation.