The article is a study of the meaning and function of the four alternatives of the Indian Madhyamika, which includes affirmative and negative forms. The author holds that the affirmative form of the four alternatives is dialectical in character and that it is closely related to the realization of the Truth. Its function is two-folded：educational and classifying. It is educational in that the first and second alternatives teach sentient beings of inferior talent the positive and negative aspects of the Truth respectively，that the third alternative teaches sentient beings of middle talent the synthetical aspect of the Truth, and that the fourth alternative teaches sentient beings of superior talent the transcendent aspect of the Truth. It has classifying function because it is a device which classifies the understanding of the same thing into four different stages, namely，the affirmative stage，the negative stage，the synthetical stage and the transcendent stage. The author also maintains that both the educational and classifying function of the four alternatives are arranged in a progressive manner as well as in an ascending order. Thereby the affirmative form of the four alternatives is a kind of gradual teaching.
With regard to the negative form of the four alternatives, the author points out that any one of the four alternatives, whether it be the affirmative，the negative，the synthetical or the transcendent，is apt to result in an onesided and thus extreme view. The negative form of the four alternatives is aimed at overcoming these extreme views and revealing the Truth of Emptiness and the Middle Way. This overcoming can also be taken as the overcoming of the limitation of concepts used in the four alternatives. That is, all concepts are in a relative nature and thereby obstruct the revelation of the absolute Truth of Emptiness and the Middle Way. The negative form of the four alternatives overcomes this relativity only through which the absolute Truth can be attained. The author also adds that in view of the simultaneous negation of the four alternatives, the negative form of the four alternatives is, contrastive to the affirmative form，a kind of sudden teaching.
