Cahiers de linguistique - Asie orientale - Année 1992 - Volume 21 - Numéro 2 - Pages 231-289This article tries to show that all the YOU ( M )+Noun nominal compounds in Early Archaic Chinese express a collective and generic value. This peculiar meaning is due to the presence of YOU itself and is derivated from the fondamental existential value of this morpheme. Both epigraphical and philological data legitimate this derivation. Depending on the nominal terms it precedes, YOU can modifie some of their semantic features in order to present them in a generic acceptation. Some theorical justifications are provided, and it is shown how YOU+N compounds always fit a definite, discreet and generic interpretation. 59 pages Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.