The Chinese Room Argument, proposed by philosopher John Searle in 1980, challenges the notion that a machine can possess true understanding or consciousness by merely manipulating symbols according to rules. In this thought experiment, Searle imagines himself inside a room, receiving Chinese characters through a slot, and using a rulebook to respond in Chinese without understanding the language. He argues that even if the system (Searle plus the rulebook) can pass the Turing Test by producing correct responses, it does not understand Chinese, just as he does not. This argument suggests that computers, which operate on similar principles of symbol manipulation, do not genuinely understand language or possess consciousness, highlighting the distinction between syntax (rule-following) and semantics (meaning).