“RỖNG” VÀ “KHÔNG” TRONG TẬP TRUYỆN NGẮN NGƯỜI ĐÀI BẮC QUA PHƯƠNG DIỆN KẾT CẤU KHÔNG GIAN: MỘT CÁCH TIẾP CẬN HIỆN TƯỢNG HỌC VÀ BẢN THỂ HỌC

Abstract

Nothingness in this paper is examined as both a consequence and a manifestation of the exilic condition, while emptiness is associated with the philosophical-aesthetic spirit of Zen. The relationship between nothingness and emptiness reflects the dynamic interplay between phenomenology and ontology. Rather than standing in opposition, they coexist and intersect, layered upon the same exiled body, to reveal a complex identity shaped by displacement yet still bearing an ontological imprint of the Eastern self. In the context of globalization and postcolonialism, examining the post-exilic state of nothingness and the possibility of “returning to emptiness” presents a necessary line of inquiry. Taipei People (Pai Hsien-yung) serves as a literary endeavor to preserve a historical phase of the Chinese nation and a cultural identity, in which nothingness and emptiness function as languages of expression. Instead of the exilic narrative in helplessness or despair, Pai Hsien-yung opens up another spatial layer imbued with the revelatory quality of emptiness – a distinctive feature that sets his work apart from other exile literature. He writes not only about exile as a historical experience, but also about the Eastern spirit as an ontological grounding. In doing so, Pai approaches the exilic condition through both phenomenology (nothingness) and ontology (emptiness), offering a multidimensional portrayal of the mainland Chinese diasporic self.