Chen Tingzhuo, a famous scholar of Ci studies in the late Qing Dynasty, generally divided his ci theory into two periods, from following the Ci school in Western Zhejiang to inheriting the Changzhou Ci school. In his early stage, he evaluated the great position of Shi Da-zu, a famous Ci writer in the Southern Song Dynasty, in the history of Ci through the comparison of different Ci writers;In the later period, he studied Ci with"depression theory", and Shi was also one of his typical writers. Chen Tingzhuo's thought on ci studies has changed, but he has al-ways admired Shi Dazu's Ci. Due to the difference in criticism standards, his appreciation and selection of Shi's Ci have also changed, showing changes in stability. In the later period, Chen Tingzhuo paid attention to the contradiction between Shi Dazu's moral quality and Ci style, and fi-nally took the attitude of not denying his works based on his personality, and still very much appreciated the artistic achievements made by Shi's Ci.
Chen TingzhuoShi DazuCi criticismdepression theorymoral quality and Ci style