A comparative study of Sino-Western neutral thought and the construction of Neutral Semiotics

Abstract Neutral thought, as a core thinking paradigm transcending Sino-Western civilizations, manifests itself as a deconstructive critique of binary opposition in the West and presents as a constructive wisdom of dynamic equilibrium in China. This paper traces the theoretical trajectory of Western neutral thought, from Barthes’ dismantling of paradigmatic relations to Derrida’s deconstruction and then to Peircean semiotics, and contrasts it with Chinese neutral thought, “Linguistic-Image Integration”, rooted in the “Neutralization” philosophy of Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism, in Chinese character semiotics, and the academic practices in contemporary Neutral Semiotics. A Sino-Western comparison is conducted across four dimensions: philosophical foundations, core objectives, modes of thinking, and practical approaches, revealing the essential differences between the Western emphasis on “deconstruction” and the Chinese focus on “construction”. On this basis, by integrating the gist of Sino-Western thought, this paper constructs a theoretical system of Neutral Semiotics with both explanatory power and practical value, encompassing a “Human-Machine-Sign” Symbiotic Ontology, a “distributed negotiation” theory of meaning, and an “Algorithm-Aware” inter-semiotic analytical methodology. The application value of this system is verified through case studies such as AIGC creation, virtual idols, and cross-cultural communication, ultimately clarifying the triple missions of Neutral Semiotics in promoting the paradigm innovation of semiotics, guiding the “good governance” of human-machine collaborative semiotic practices, and fostering a diverse and inclusive semiotic civilization.