本論文從漢代文獻中的「象類」一詞出發，研究在前意象論時代，與「象」有關的各種不同用語，其透顯的象思維與類思維交疊的文化現象，如何浸透於從「鑄鼎象物」、「觀物取象」到漢代的「象類」觀，並及於先秦以來各種以「象」為組構的字詞和論述，而可見出此種「象類思維」浸透於天人關係和政治場域的時代現象。而從卦象系統中更可見象思維與類思維交疊所蘊含的「類」「象」「義」交互聯繫的思維結構和特徵。故知意象論形成之前，與「象」有關的觀念視域和文化特質，與類思維之聯繫不容忽視。

This thesis studies the cultural context and phenomena which, through the use of the character xiang 象within documents from the pre-Qin era and the Han dynasty prior to the construction of image theory, integrated “categorical and conjunct thought” 類思維 and the complex “analogous thinking of imagery” 象思維 into what I have defined as a co-existing “analogous thought of imagery and lei” 象類思維. The character xiang is key as numerous different terms were composed using xiang, which would interpret the images or analogous relationships found within these documents. For example, the wide impact of analogous thought of imagery and lei on pre-Qin and Han thought and ways of thinking can be seen within certain cultural phenomena, including the legend of “zhu ding xiang wu” 鑄鼎象物, the concept of “guan wu qu xiang” 觀物取象, and others containing xiang. Moreover, from the gua-xiang system 卦象系統, or system of hexagrams and images, of the eight trigrams, we can also observe a complicated way of thinking which closely links meaning 義, xiang, and lei together. In this way, the above cultural phenomena prior to the construction of image theory were simply more abundant and complicated than we previously thought.