本文从知识论视角分析自然会话中的下指现象。研究发现，说话人和听话人对下指语所指对象的知识不对称促使双方进行指称协商，从而引发会话下指。通常表现为说话人（K+）向听话人（K-）提供下指语的指称对象，有时也表现为听话人根据共同背景知识、说话人引入的共享知识以及语境化提示推断出下指语的指称对象，并得到说话人的确认，双方实现知识平衡，顺利完成交际。就指称协商的互动过程而言，主要表现为说话人在同话轮、跨话轮和多话轮发出后行语以及听话人在下一话轮发出后行语四种。

The present paper studies cataphora in natural conversation from the perspective of epistemics. It is found that the imbalanced epistemic status towards the referent of cataphor prompts the interactants to make referential negotiation, thus touching off cataphora. Typically, it is the speaker (K+)who provides the postcedent, while there are cases where the recipient (K-)seeks confirmation by providing a candidate postcedent based on common ground, shared knowledge or contextualization cues. In so doing,the interactants achieve epistemic balance and the conversation moves forward after achieving intersubjectivity. As for the referential negotiation, four types are identified:(1)The postcedent is provided by the speaker in the same turn;(2)The postcedent is produced by the speaker after the next turn;(3)The postcedent is given by the speaker after multi-turns;(4)Sometimes the recipient provides the postcedent in the next turn.