"Transmitting the Spirit"is an important aesthetic proposition in the Wei,Jin and Six Dynasties,which has a far-reaching impact on later generations.Liu Xie never quoted this term in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons,but a careful study shows that there are a large number of relevant theories in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons.Liu Xie absorbed the ideological essence of Gu Kaizhi's"Transmitting the Spirit"theory,transformed and sublimated it,then formed its own unique literary theory.In ontology,Yuan Dao points out that"divine principle"is the origin of literature,and presents the aesthetic meaning of"God"in the inquiry of"literature".In the theory of creation,the"Spirit Thought"chapter starts from the process of artistic creation conception(aesthetic imagination),which is similar to the"Imagination and Beauty"in"Transmitting the spirit",but the difference is that Liu Xie made"thinking"more concrete,integrating"intent and qi"and"rhetoric",he thought that the two were the key mechanisms for transmitting"Spirit thought".In the theory of works,the"strength of character"chapter,Wind and Bone("emotion""intent""reason"and"spirit")and"coloration"("literary phrases"and"word choice")are opposed,and"coloration"is to convey the spiritual connotation of"Wind and Bone";the Implicit and Bright chapter focuses more on the description of imagery,similar to the aesthetic approach of"Transmitting the spirit",that is writing"Implicit"with"Bright".In the acceptance theory,the existence of"gods"is perceived through the psychological feelings of"gods","gods and wonders"and"sincerity and loyalty".
The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragonstransmitting the spirit"God"