การสื่อความหมายและวิวัฒนาการศึกษาหน้าปกคัมภีร์เต๋าในไทย:  การวิเคราะห์วาทกรรมสื่อพหุรูปแบบ (พ.ศ. 2521-2568)

Yao Siqi

Authors

Yao Siqi Faculty of Southeast Asian Studies (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies), Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

Keywords:

Cross-cultural communication, Cover of the Tao Te Ching, Taoist philosophy, Visual grammar

Abstract

This research aims to 1) examine meaning construction in book covers of the Tao Te Ching and other Taoist philosophy volumes translated into the Thai language for distribution in Thailand, based on a visual grammar theoretical framework, and 2) analyze the diachronic evolution of the covers from 1978 to 2025.

Results identified 84 Taoist scripture covers with three modes of meaning proposed through interconnected and coordinated visual grammar, emphasizing the significance of book covers: (1) As representational meaning, symbolic, actional, and reactional processes are used to convey Taoist philosophical concepts through metaphorical symbols and dynamic elements; (2) as interpersonal meaning, social distance evolves from public distance to individual proximity, illustrating the deepening understanding by Thai readers of traditional Chinese Taoist philosophy, with predominant red and yellow coloring emphasizing a blend of Chinese cultural traits with contemporary Thai aesthetics; (3) for compositional meaning, a vertical structure demonstrates the information value hierarchy, while foreground framing techniques highlight Taoist philosophical elements. The evolution of book covers incorporates cultural and design concepts across three distinct phases: religious mysticism, philosophical interpretation, and the contemporary academic paradigm. This progress dynamically interacts between the construction of discursive meaning and Sino-Thai cross-cultural communication.

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A Diachronic Study of Meaning Construction among Taoist Classics Book Covers in Thailand: Multimodal Discourse Analysis (1978-2025)

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