Blank-signs and their in-field domains in literary texts

4.1.1 Blank-signs in the absence of plot structure

Plot is the change and passage of things, as well as the process of occurrence, development and resolution of contradictions in literary works, consisting of a series of specific events that show the characters’ personalities and express the interrelationships between characters, and between the characters and the environment. A complete storyline generally includes components such as the beginning, development, climax and ending, and in some cases there is a prologue and epilogue, while the absence of any one of the plots and empty spaces may form blank-signs, thus leaving more imagination and aesthetic space for the readers. For example, poet Gong Liu’s ‘Only One Can Wake It Up’:

(Example 3) In the chambers of my heart, love sleeps soundly, and there is only one person who can wake it up, and I don’t know who that person is.

(我的心房里, 爱情在酣睡, 只有一个人能唤醒它, 我不知道这个人是谁。)

Example 3 is a love poem with only a beginning and a simple narrative, but it leaves many gaps. It is not difficult to find that the poem has only the beginning and development in the plot structure, while the climax and the ending are missing, similar to only giving the riddle and missing the bottom, waiting for the reader to guess and speculate, so as to understand the connotation. Plotting is not static. For the purpose of theme expression, characterisation or enhancing the artistic appeal, etc., the author can make the necessary treatment of the components of the plot, such as inverted, interspersed, supplemented and so on, and then form the reverse order, interlude, complementary narrative, etc., and of course, can also be omitted from part of the plot, such as the climax in Example 3, the ending of the absence of the place. This absence breaks the integrity of things and makes the plot no longer complete, thus causing the appearance of blank-sign.

From the perspective of System Theory, a system is an organic whole with a certain function composed of a number of elements linked in a certain structural form. The core idea of system theory is the overall concept of the system. The absence of any organic component will affect and change the effect of the overall collection. However, in literary texts, the absence of plot structure is often deliberate by the author, and throws this absence to the reader. And readers with certain reading ability and aesthetic experience can not only catch this empty space well but also repair the defective system to be complete. Man is an animal of symbolic activity, with natural strong symbolic activity, literary readers can generally recognise the existence of such blank-signs, and make a semiotic interpretation of them.

4.1.2 Blank-signs under broken logic chain rings

Since ‘plot is a series of events organized according to the logic of cause and effect’ (Tong 2008: 238), the development of plot is necessarily driven by causal connections. In literary works, plot often explains and reorganises events that appear on the surface to occur accidentally in a chronological order in terms of causality, and, as Hegel (1979: 238) puts it, plot should be ‘expressed as a movement complete in itself of actions, counteractions, and the resolution of contradictions’. That is to say, structurally the plot should be organised, matched and arranged according to the logic of cause and effect, and it should focus on the expression of the conflict of the characters and reveal the process of the change of their destiny. If out of some kind of expression needs, the chain of causal logic can also be deliberately cut off, left vacant or hollowed out, thus leaving empty slots in the logical chain, which will also cause blank-signs. For example, in the second section of Ouyang Xiu’s ‘Butterfly Lovers’:

(Example 4) In the twilight of March, when the rain and the wind are fierce, the door is covered with dusk, and there is no plan to stay in spring. Tearful eyes ask for flowers without saying a word, and the red flies over the autumn swing.

Why does the poet have no plan to stay in spring in Example 4? Why does the poet ask the flowers with tears in his eyes? Why don’t the flowers speak, and why do the scattered red petals fly past the swing? All these leave a big gap in the poem. The reason is that there is a missing link in the logical chain of the plot, and there is an effect without a cause. A complete chain of cause and effect logic necessarily includes cause and effect. If there is a cause without an effect or an effect without a cause, the chain of logic will result in missing links, empty space, cause and effect reasoning will be interrupted, the premise and the conclusion will be very difficult to be consistent. From a semiotic point of view, this missing link is ‘the absence of a certain link in a complete semantic relationship’ (Wang and Li 2021: 115), which itself constitutes a kind of blank-sign, thus triggering readers to ask about the series of causes. It is worth emphasising that in literary texts, the break in this logical chain link does not affect the integrity of meaning. The author creates the empty space, the reader fills the empty space, in the strict sense, a literary work is actually constructed by the author and the reader, co-operation is completed. The powerful role of blank-signs can be easily seen in the literary text.

In Example 4, the formation of this blank-sign is not only based on the hint and backing of concrete symbols but also on a string of blank-signs, which exists in the form of negation, silence and other symbols, such as ‘no plan’, ‘no words’ and so on. Wei (2012: Preface 3) points out that expressions such as ‘absence of xx’, ‘non-xx’ and ‘abandonment’ all represent a particular manifestation of the blank-sign. Such as ‘No argument’ is to make argument empty, ‘no obedience’ is to make obedience empty, etc. The superposition of blank-signs makes the absence of causal logic chain more prominent, the semantic expression is stronger, and also makes the content that needs to be supplemented by the reader increase accordingly.

4.1.3 Blank-signs under the plot structure staccato

If there are pauses, intervals, interruptions, etc. in the structure of the plot, blank-signs can also be formed. For example, a fragment of Bai Juyi’s Pipa Xing:

(Example 5) The warbler’s voice is slippery under the flowers, and the ice is difficult to flow under the pharyngeal spring. The icy spring is so cold that the strings are frozen, and the sound of the condensation never stops. There are other sorrows and secret hatreds, but at this time no sound is better than sound.

Example 5 depicts the sound of the pipa, and there are many blank-signs, which share the same reference — pipa sound in different symbolic forms. They are present in the form of ‘frozen’, ‘inaccessible’, ‘suspended’, ‘silent’, etc. This form of presence can be understood in relation to the form of performance, in which there are multidimensional blank-signs. The actual performance typically unfolds within a multidimensional physical space, encompassing temporal positions, spatial voids and even directional orientations. The occurrence, transmission and reception of the pipa’s sound naturally transpire within this specific spatiotemporal context. The ‘stasis’, ‘interruption’, ‘temporary pause’ and ‘silence’ of the sound possess archetypal temporal positions and spatial voids within the physical space, laden with rich connotations. The pipa player’s experiences, fate and suffering are all condensed within this sound. The fluctuation, undulation and delay of physical sound can only be expressed in literary texts by specific symbols such as ‘frozen’, ‘inaccessible’, ‘temporary break’ and ‘silent’. In the literary text, the fluctuation, undulation and prolongation of the physical sound can only be presented in the form of specific concrete symbols such as ‘condensation’, ‘inaccessibility’, ‘temporary break’, ‘no sound’ and so on, which are in fact symbols depicting the physical sound in terms of form, symbols of symbols or surrogates of symbols, which are the common form of presence of the blank-sign of the sound of the pipa in the flat literary text.

Only with the help of these blank-signs, such as ‘frozen’, ‘not available’, ‘suspended’, ‘silent’, etc., can the listener (the reader) realise the profound textual meaning hidden underneath. Therefore, the author, unable to and do not have to present all the plot structure, will always make certain adjustment according to the expressive needs, due to which the blank-signs can be highlighted. ‘Blank-signs in the symbolic activity have a reference role or index role. Blank-signs are like a guide in the symbolic activity, which skilfully guides people into the various postures of concrete symbols’. (Wei 2012: 98) It should be pointed out that the prompting function of blank-signs is not exactly as Wei Shilin said — just a guide to concrete symbols. In literary works, the marked/unmarked form of blank-signs itself can also have a guiding effect on readers, prompting them to pursue the literary discourse behind the blank-signs. In other words, readers should pay more attention to its meaning than to its symbolic form. As Eco (Eco 1990: 182) points out, ‘The notion of “sign” is a figment of everyday language, and its place should be taken by the notion of sign — function’.

From the cognitive point of view, all the above blank-signs under the plot gap and logical chain break are consistent with Gestalt perception. When there is a gap or slot in the cognitive chain, according to the Frame Theory in cognitive linguistics, the cognitive subject usually identifies the gap and its relationship with the neighbouring concepts, and tries to complete it, so as to complete the chain into a complete symbol chain. From the perspective of Reception Aesthetics, the blank-signs of the plot structure have the function of summoning, which is a kind of speechless invitation to seek for the missing connection, i.e. readers are invited to fill in the ‘missing places’ and connect the plot. Literary works are like a continuous stream of symbolic activities, with one end connected to the author and the other to the reader, and the presence of blank-signs is the result of the interaction between the two in symbolic activities.

4.2.1 Blank-signs hidden under the purpose of writing

In literary texts, authors sometimes hide the purpose of creation in all the language symbols due to factors such as environment, power, culture, genre or self-writing style and create blank-signs as a unit to convey the author’s intention. For example, Zhu Qingyu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote ‘Addressing Zhang Shuibu Before the Upcoming Exam’:

(Example 6) In the bridal chamber, the red candles burned through the night. Awaiting dawn to pay respect to my husband’s parents. After dressing, I softly ask my husband, ‘Is the depth of my eyebrow paint fashionable and right?’

At first glance, Example 6 seems to be a poem about a lady’s love, but in fact it is not. In the Tang Dynasty, those who sat for the entrance examination usually hoped to be recommended by a person of high moral standing. After Zhu Qingyu met Zhang Ji in the capital, Zhang Ji appreciated Zhu Qingyu’s talent and asked him to bring him his latest works together with his old ones. In the days waiting for the announcement of the list, Zhu Qingyu could not help but feel uneasy, so he wrote this poem and presented it to Zhang Ji. In the poem, the ‘bride’ is dressed up to please her ‘uncle and aunt’ (in ancient times, uncle and aunt usually refers to husband’s parents), so that she can get a ‘high score’ in the early morning when she pays a visit. This is undoubtedly the author in a metaphorical insinuation way to express the purpose of writing — to probe the results of the test. Zhang Ji, after reading Zhu Qingyu’s poem written in a euphemistic way, smiled and then returned ‘In Response to Zhu Qingyu’:

(Example 7) A maiden from Yue, in new attire, emerges from the heart of the Mirror Lake. Aware of her radiant beauty, she still hesitates and ponders. Fine silks from Qi are not truly valued by the world, A single lotus song of hers is worth ten thousand gold.

In Example 7, Zhang Ji compares Zhu Qingyu’s work with the ‘A maiden from Yue’ and the ‘girl who picks lotus’, and compares his mediocre work with the ‘Fine silks from Qi’ and his excellent work with the ‘lotus song’. The poem is a clever and subtle reply to Zhu Qingyu’s excellent works, showing his appreciation for him and implying that he doesn’t need to worry about the examination. In fact, both poems hide their respective writing purposes under a series of concrete symbols by creating blank-sign at the level of the theme and connotation, expecting the other party to interpret the creative purpose of the text. People outside the event, who are not well-versed in current affairs and situations, may not be able to recognise the blank-sign. When people understand the writing purpose of the blank-signs through their literal meanings, they tend to give out a heartfelt smile involuntarily.

From the perspective of semiotics, this gives full play to the cognitive and communicative functions of symbols, because human beings are symbolic animals, and human beings use symbols to convey messages, and the process of conveying is the process from encoding to decoding. The same is true for blank-sign. In Example 6, the poet’s enquiry is inconvenient to open his mouth, so he can only use a series of concrete symbols to artificially construct a virtual space or psychological space for prying, and refer to the referent — test results in the form of the symbol carrier as blank. Lin (2019: 166) points out, ‘“Blank” is the artistic space that the poet deliberately leaves for the reader to fill through imagination. This fillable ‘space’ may be partly or holistic. If all the poetic meaning is hidden by a specific structural technique, then there will be an overall empty frame structure, and the poetic flavour may be stronger’. This ‘overall empty frame structure’ is a huge hidden blank-sign, waiting for the other party to perceive — receive — accept — interpret this symbolic information, so as to understand the other party’s purpose of writing.

4.2.2 Blank-signs under the intention of not being finished

The theme and connotation level not only has a specific main idea and centre, but often also has a rich rational connotation. When the elements of a story are complete, the plot structure is complete, if the author is not yet finished, he can also create blank-sign to convey the unfinished feelings. For example, the end of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, one of the four great love stories of ancient Chinese folklore:

(Example 8) Yingtai vows to sacrifice her life when she hears the bad news about Shanbo. When Yingtai was forced to get married, she made a detour to Liang Shanbo’s tomb and got off the sedan chair to pay her respects. In Zhu Yingtai’s mournful induction, the wind, rain, thunder and lightning, the grave burst, Yingtai jumped into the grave, the grave closed. When the wind and rain cleared up, the rainbow hung high, and Liang Yingtai was transformed into a butterfly that fluttered and danced on earth.

In fact, in Example 8, when the hero and heroine are both martyred, the story is already finished. However, the author has made an abrupt stop, ‘Liang Zhu turned into a butterfly, dancing and fluttering on earth’. Here, the story ends abruptly, leaving a huge gap in the poem, creating a ‘visual field’ or ‘imaginative field’ for the reader’s wandering point of view, calling him or her to savour, fill in, imagine and reconstruct. At the same time, the author creates a huge blank-sign in a Chinese romantic way, and readers with a Chinese cultural background generally have no difficulty in interpreting the connotation behind this symbol — lovers finally get married. At the end of the text, ‘Liang Zhu turned into a butterfly, dancing and fluttering on earth’ is obviously the author’s intention to let the main character be reborn in another form of life in the real world, so as to make up for the shortcoming of ‘not being able to share a bed with her in life’. The readers, especially those who are well versed in traditional Chinese culture, also expect to make such an interpretation, and thus take the initiative to complete the story and make it complete. This blank-sign is obviously a product of psychological activities, triggered by psychological defects, and its energy refers to the level of mental imagery, the lack of material entities, and its reference to love. The author transforms the psychological experience into linguistic symbols through image thinking, and the reader transforms the author’s language symbols into linguistic blank-signs through reverse image thinking, which means much more than ‘words’ and is often difficult to express, but satisfies the reader’s aesthetic expectations.

Due to the reader’s uncertain identity, the subjectivity of interpretation and the openness of the text, the meaning provided to the reader by this blank-sign will be subject to the reader’s acceptance and produce different aesthetic experiences. From the perspective of cognitive linguistics, it actually constructs a psychological integration space for the reader, the input space 1 for the two butterflies, the input space 2 for the Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, as for the cross mapping of the two can be compressed into what kind of emergent structure to the readers need to fill in the blanks on their own, the reader’s thoughts can be free to roam around here, wander at will. The more ‘unspeakable’, ‘ineffable’, ‘unfinished’, the more its meaning may be indescribably wonderful. In fact, the generation of such blank-signs is undoubtedly the result of the operation of human metaphorical thinking, which endows the work with a dynamic interplay between the real and the imaginary, creating both disruption and establishment, and also makes the theme and connotation of the work surpass the text in the reader’s thinking of the infinite extension of time and space. By doing so, readers can better touch the essence of symbolic narrative and penetrate into the inner feelings of the author.

4.2.3 Blank-signs under the opposition between the real world and the ideal world

Literary texts are often characterised by a specific era, that is to say, the context of the era will leave a deep imprint in the text. In the reading of literary texts, once the readers feel the contrast and discrepancy between the real world and the ideal world in which the works are born and in which they live, the great psychological distance and psychological gap may induce the production of blank-signs. For example, the fragment of Tao Yuanming’s ‘Peach Blossom Garden’ in Jin Dynasty:

(Example 9) Suddenly, I came across a peach blossom forest, hundreds of paces along the bank, with no mixed trees, beautiful grass and colourful fallen flowers…

The land is open, the houses are just like a house, there are good fields, beautiful pools, mulberry and bamboo. The road is full of traffic, and the dogs and chickens hear each other. The men and women dressed like outsiders. The elderly with yellowish-white hair and the young with hanging hair were all in a state of blissfulness.

In Example 9, the author depicts a picture of a Utopian ideal world with beautiful scenery, no strife, and everyone living and working in peace and contentment through the perspective of a fisherman: ‘The grass is fresh and beautiful, and the flowers are colourful’, ‘the land is open, and the houses are just as they should be’, ‘the road traffic, dogs and chickens’ ‘a good field, beautiful pool, mulberry and bamboo belonging to’ … But such an ideal world generally exists only in people’s imagination, it is the yearning and pursuit of the good life, often difficult to achieve. The reason why there is such a beautiful description, is that people mediate often from the opposition between the real world and the ideal world, or out of dissatisfaction with the real world, or willing to escape from the real world, or the ideal world of the incomparable thirst, and so on. The more eager to seek, the ‘mirror’ the more true. The more the image is portrayed, the more specific and realistic it is. The more it reflects the prominence of the confrontation between the real world and the ideal world, and the greater the gap between them. In fact, from the real world to the ideal world of the journey, there are many stages, points, but people are often concerned not about these transitional time and empty space, but the results of — the ideal world of thirst. Especially in the contrast of the real world, the unrealised ideal world becomes more and more visible and clear, and once it is perceived and given an important meaning, the original illusory undefined world transitions from a zero to a blank-sign, thus completing the transformation of the symbol.

Here, the blank-signs are born on the basis of the construction of concrete symbols, and the reader systematically integrates, superimposes, sublimates and recreates a series of figurative descriptions of the author in the text, such as ‘beautiful grass’, ‘colourful falling leaves’, ‘open land’, ‘good fields and beautiful ponds’, ‘the sound of dogs and chickens’, etc., thus constructing a huge virtual meaning space. The reader systematically integrates, superimposes, sublimates and recreates a series of figurative descriptions in the author’s text, such as ‘beautiful grass’, ‘colourful falling insects’, ‘open land’, ‘good fields and beautiful pools’, ‘dogs and chickens’, etc., and then constructs a huge virtual meaning space — a Utopian perfect society. Obviously, this paradise is unavailable in the real world, so it has to resort to literature to make it exist in the possible world. Therefore, this blank-sign is triggered by the opposition between the real world and the ideal world and is latent in the reader’s mind, similar to what Zhao (2012: 26–27) calls ‘spiritual symbols’, ‘mental images’ and ‘concepts’. It seems to be there, actually there is nothing, seems to be nothing, actually there is, from the real to the need, with strong symbolism, parasitism. Its energy refers to the empty, referring to the ideal society, meaning people’s aspirations for a better society. In the literary text, the theme and connotation of the work is sometimes not single, but multi-dimensional, fuzzy, implicit, which the concrete symbols are difficult to accurately convey. It is that time that the clever author will often use a limited number of concrete symbols to facilitate readers to spontaneously generate blank-signs during the sharp confrontation between the reality and the ideal world. The presence of the blank-signs not only complete the mission that the concrete symbols are unable to complete but also continue the life of the concrete symbols and guide the readers to find the theme and connotation of the literary text on their own.