4.242 Expressions of the form “a = b” are thus only aids for presentation; they say nothing about the meaning [Bedeutung] of the signs “a” and “b.”

That is, they tell us nothing about a and b, only about “a” and “b.” They tell us about the signs themselves, but not about what they stand for. Wittgenstein later (see PI §370) seems to have repudiated this distinction. Perhaps we should consider the possibility that he finds it untenable here too. Perhaps not.