The Modern Value Of Mencius Literary Aesthetic Thoughts

Mencius is the famous thinker of the ancient China during the Warring States Period. His literary thought with rich content is extensive, profound and distinctive. The three famous literary theories he proposed-- “Yi Yi Ni Zhi”, “Zhi Ren Lun Shi”, “Zhi Yan Yang Qi” are regarded as the important content of the literary reception, the literary criticism and the literary creation theory in our country. These theories are mainly embedded in his work Mencius. Besides, these theories are not only original at that time but also has a extremely positive significance for the contemporary scholars to carry out a variety of literary activities. For these reasons, this thesis will provide a detailed explanation of these three aesthetic thoughts on literature and art of Mencius from the perspective of the modern value. This thesis is mainly divided into three chapters:The first chapter is mainly about “Yi Yi Ni Zhi” and “the literary reception”. In this chapter, the interpretation of “Yi Yi Ni Zhi”, the specific meaning of “Yi” and “Zhi” and how to “Yi Yi Ni Zhi” in a better way is helpful for explaining the relationship between “Yi Yi Ni Zhi” and “the literary reception”. In the eyes of Mencius, “Yi Yi Ni Zhi” emphasizes what the readers should do in the process of the literary reception. Putting the readers in a prominent position of the literary reception has significant reference for us to discuss literary activities in the present days.The second chapter deals with “Zhi Ren Lun Shi” and “the literary criticism”. This chapters gives readers an explanation of the origin of “Zhi Ren Lun Shi” and how to properly use the theory of “Zhi Ren Lun Shi” in the process of the literary criticism. In addition, paying attention to “the author” and “the experience of the author” puts this theory deeply into the literary criticism, which reflects the close relationship between “Zhi Ren Lun Shi” and “the literary criticism”.The third chapter is mainly about “Zhi Ren Lun Shi” and “the literary creation theory”. To be specific, this chapter not only focuses on the direct impact of “Yang Qi” on the creation of the authors but also the importance of “Zhi Yan” for the creation of the authors. Besides, the interpretation of “Zhi Yan Yang Qi” highlights the significance of the authors’ self-improvement before their creation, which indicates the great importance of “Zhi Yan Yang Qi” for the literary creation.Therefore, based on the explanation of the modern value of these three aesthetic thoughts on literature and art, we can make a new interpretation and definition of “Yi Yi Ni Zhi”, “Zhi Ren Lun Shi”, “Zhi Yan Yang Qi”, which has important impact on the contemporary scholars to carry out the activities of the literary reception, the literary criticism and the literary creation.