--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Another issue was language, the problem…" description: "\"“Another issue was language, the problem of expressing these themes in language and the problem of how much one can articulate in language.”\" — Gao Xin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg" --- # Another issue was language, the problem of expressing… ![“Another issue was language, the problem of expressing these themes in language and the problem of how much one can articulate in language.” quote by Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg) > ““Another issue was language, the problem of expressing these themes in language and the problem of how much one can articulate in language.”” [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the difficulty of fully capturing complex ideas in language. **In simple terms:** Ideas are hard to fully express. Key Takeaway Accept language limits; seek clarity. Themes communication language expression Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - teaching - philosophical dialogue Key Concepts semantic limits articulation interpretation Questions to Reflect On - What ideas resist precise wording? - How do you bridge gaps in understanding? A Different Perspective Language may simplify or distort nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Articulate Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articulate-language-550466/) [Issue Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issue-language-550467/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-problem-504942/) [Problem Articulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-articulate-550464/) [Problem Expressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-expressing-550465/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, if I'm reading in Vienna or Venezuela or Italy, there's the issue of language, and I will make choices that are more sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/obviously-if-i-m-reading-in-vienna-or-venezuela-or-italy-there-s-the/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [I don't know if I have a problem expressing joy, but the difficulty is in making an album, a piece of music that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ashcroft/i-don-t-know-if-i-have-a-problem-expressing-joy-but-the-difficulty-is/) [Richard Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ashcroft/) > [I suppose this is, in part, a cultural thing, but certainly in the U.K., I don't think we're particularly articulate in a language of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-d-arcy/i-suppose-this-is-in-part-a-cultural-thing-but-certainly-in-the-u-k-i/) [Emma D'Arcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-d-arcy/) > [I don't have a problem expressing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phife-dawg/i-don-t-have-a-problem-expressing-myself/) [Phife Dawg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phife-dawg/) > [“Through his powers of intellect, articulate language has been evolved; and on this his wonderful advancement has mainly depended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/through-his-powers-of-intellect-articulate-language-has-been-evolved/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I am an actor and I don't have any language barrier. If I get a Tamil film, I will learn the language. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saba-qamar/i-am-an-actor-and-i-don-t-have-any-language-barrier-if-i-get-a-tamil/) [Saba Qamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saba-qamar/) > [The real problem in speech is not precise language. The problem is clear language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-real-problem-in-speech-is-not-precise-language-the-problem-is/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [As long as you are successful and winning matches, the language is no problem at all. But when the results are insufficient, the difficulties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottmar-hitzfeld/as-long-as-you-are-successful-and-winning-matches-the-language-is-no/) [Ottmar Hitzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottmar-hitzfeld/) > [If I have to do something, I feel I should do it perfectly, and ofcourse, Hindi language is a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soundarya/if-i-have-to-do-something-i-feel-i-should-do-it-perfectly-and/) [Soundarya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soundarya/) > [Both French and Latin are involved with nationalistic and religious implications which could not be entirely shaken off, and so, while they seemed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sapir/both-french-and-latin-are-involved-with-nationalistic-and-religious/) [Edward Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sapir/) > [Precise language is not the problem. Clear language is the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/precise-language-is-not-the-problem-clear-language-is-the-problem/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [ “How do you even speak of, let alone propose regulation of, \[any\] category \[so\] full of internal contradictions? . . . Maybe, like so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-even-speak-of-let-alone-propose-regulation-of-any-category/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Having more than one mother language may be a problem sometimes, mainly if they tend to be in conflict with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/having-more-than-one-mother-language-may-be-a-problem-sometimes/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) [Roger Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-sperry/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) ## More by Gao Xingjian > [“When a man gets to middle age shouldn’t he look for a peaceful and stable existence, find a not-too-demanding sort of a job, stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/when-a-man-gets-to-middle-age-shouldn-t-he-look-for-a-peaceful-and/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [Literature transcends national boundaries, racial boundaries. It goes deep into the issues that concern all human beings. That is why, when people read Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/literature-transcends-national-boundaries-racial-boundaries-it-goes/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [I hadn't originally intended to do any reading, what if I did read one book more or one book less, whether I read or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/i-hadn-t-originally-intended-to-do-any-reading-what-if-i-did-read-one/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical; in relationship to others, anyone can become a tyrant. That's why no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/if-you-re-not-perfectly-conscious-of-yourself-that-self-can-be/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [Since childhood, I'd dreamed of making a film, but producers in France and Germany wanted to make commercial films with chinoiserie. I refused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/since-childhood-i-d-dreamed-of-making-a-film-but-producers-in-france/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [Literature hasn't come up with any new themes. The literature of all different times - it's still dealing with how one resolves issues of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/literature-hasn-t-come-up-with-any-new-themes-the-literature-of-all/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [“Yours is much worse than Eastern! You’ve slapped together travel notes, moralistic ramblings, feelings, notes, jottings, untheoretical discussions, unfable-like fables, copied out some folk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/yours-is-much-worse-than-eastern-you-ve-slapped-together-travel-notes/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [The enterprise of describing something in language that has never been described before is a very difficult thing to do. When you decide to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/the-enterprise-of-describing-something-in-language-that-has-never/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [When I completed writing 'Soul Mountain,' I more or less closed the accounts with China for myself. I was 50 years old when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/when-i-completed-writing-soul-mountain-i-more-or-less-closed-the/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [I want to write a novel so profound that it would suffocate a fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/i-want-to-write-a-novel-so-profound-that-it-would-suffocate-a-fly/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [Body odour (known also as scent of the immortals) is a disgusting condition with an awful, nauseating smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/body-odour-known-also-as-scent-of-the-immortals-is-a-disgusting/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [If, while observing the boundless universe, the writer is able to scrutinise his own self as well as others, the resulting incisiveness of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/if-while-observing-the-boundless-universe-the-writer-is-able-to/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [When God talks to humans he doesn't want humans to hear his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/when-god-talks-to-humans-he-doesn-t-want-humans-to-hear-his-voice/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [“At the height of the Cultural Revolution, rather than risk having to face dire consequences for his accumulated writings, he burned several kilos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/at-the-height-of-the-cultural-revolution-rather-than-risk-having-to/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [Language is inherently not concerned with logic. As an expression of the psychological activities of humankind, it simply follows a linear process as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/language-is-inherently-not-concerned-with-logic-as-an-expression-of/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) [Explore all 91 Gao Xingjian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) [TimBur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timbur/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Another issue was language, the problem of expressing these themes in language and the problem of how much one can articulate in language.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gao Xingjian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/another-issue-was-language-the-problem-of-expressing-these-themes-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/another-issue-was-language-the-problem-of-expressing-these-themes-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b80/gao-xingjian-6987_language_another-issue-was-language-the-problem-o_830029.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Another issue was language, the problem of expressing these themes in language and the problem of how much…” — Gao Xingjian", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gao Xingjian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Another issue was language, the problem...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/another-issue-was-language-the-problem-of-expressing-these-themes-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/another-issue-was-language-the-problem-of-expressing-these-themes-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```