Zitat von Geaney, 2002: 38f.
The chinese character yi 意 is frequently translated as 'idea,' [sic!] which in this context, might give the unfortunate impression of something like representative mental ideas [...]. Emphasis on the visual is belied by the aural element in the constitution of this character - 'tone' yin 音 over the 'heartmind' xin 心. Finaly, such an interpretation is also unlikely, because yi is not internal.
Yi 意 is better translated as 'intent' - in the sense of something external and manifest in movement. This is apparent because the Xunzi attributes 'intentionality' to a dance [...].
Thus, yi is not an internal mental picture at all. As in the orderly movement of the dance, yi is a manifest and measurable tending or movement. On these grounds, it seems that the senses' yiwu (intentional thing) refers to the direction of the senses movement or inclination in relation to things.