The Study On The Natural Objects Of Character Evaluation In Shi Shuo Xin Yu

The Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties are important periods in the development of classical Chinese literature and aesthetics,and the Shi Shuo Xin Yu concentrates on reflecting the social and historical conditions as well as the aesthetic and cultural psychology of the scholars during this period.As an important theme of Shi Shuo Xin Yu,character evaluation uses the method of comparing characters to natural objects.Since the Han Dynasty,natural objects were mostly used to compare with human morality,which is the concept of "Virtue Comparison." In the Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties,the connotations carried by natural objects were richer,and the beauty of natural objects was gradually recognized by scholars,and the beauty of nature and people reached a certain degree of integration.This integration was closely related to the development of social,history,academic atmosphere and the mentality of scholars.Specifically,from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty,the political environment was treacherous and volatile,and the academic atmosphere changed several times,which had a tremendous impact on the mentality of scholars,and the final result was that people’s acceptance and appreciation of natural beauty reached a new level.The development of the concept of nature in the late Han and Wei Jin must be examined from two clues:philosophy and literature.In philosophy,"nature" can be divided into three systems:Confucianism,Taoism,and Metaphysics,while literary works since the Book of Poetry have depicted a large number of natural objects.These are important backgrounds for the method of comparing characters to natural objects of the Shi Shuo Xin YuThrough the statistics of quantity and the division of times,it can be found that the number of items in the Shi Shuo Xin Yu that involve the method of comparing characters to natural objects has been gradually increasing through the Eastern Han,Wei(the Three Kingdoms),Western Jin,and Eastern Jin dynasties.The most obvious increase was during the Jin dynasties,with related items(63)accounting for 77.8%of the total number of items(81).Especially in the Eastern Jin Dynasty,objects such as "seagull bird," "meat duck,"and " white-necked crow" appeared,and most of these new objects appeared only once in the Shi Shuo Xin Yu,indicating that there was a strong interest in nature at that time.The use of objects has reached a very free and arbitrary state.On this basis,we can further investigate the connotation of natural objects,and we can see that the overall trend of character evaluation is emphasizing virtue in the Eastern Han,talent in the late Han and early Wei,and aesthetics from the mid-late Wei to the Jin dynasties,reflecting the different spirit and value orientation of the late Han Dynasty,Wei Dynasty and Jin Dynasty.From the perspective of aesthetic consciousness,the three types of typical objects in the Shi Xue Xin Yu-jade,pine,and wind-all have a strong Confucian meaning of"Virtue Comparison" and were given new meanings during the Wei and Jin Dynasties,including comments on the characters’ personalities,spirits,and appearance,which showed the transformation of aesthetic consciousness under the background of Confucian metaphysicalization.In addition to the natural objects themselves,the adjectives associated with them also show a deep concern for the beauty of nature These adjectives can be divided into two categories.One of which is derived from natural objects,including "Zhi," "Jun," "Qing," "Yan" and "Yuan".These adjectives are very commonly used in the character evaluation,which also include natural elements.The second one is the adjectives that modify natural objects.The appearance of such adjectives indicates that during the Wei and Jin dynasties,scholars began to consciously depict and portray natural objects,and the aesthetics of nature and characters showed a trend of gradual integration.The essence of the transformation from "humanization of nature" to "naturalization of man" is the enhancement of natural aesthetic consciousness and the unification of human and natureIts influence is not limited to this,but more importantly,it has an impact on the aesthetic appreciation of art(literature,painting and calligraphy mainly)after the promotion of natural aesthetic consciousness.In other words,the aesthetic appreciation of nature serves as a bridge between the aesthetic appreciation of human and art.Specifically,the extension of the aesthetic appreciation of human to art can be divided into three parts.Firstly,the expression of natural aesthetics in literature and painting and the application of grade concepts in poetry and painting theory.Secondly,the extension of aesthetic methods,including the application of the method of comparing with natural objects in poetry theory,and the practice of "Capture the Spirit Beyond Form" in calligraphy and painting theory which derived from it.In addition,there is the aesthetic appreciation mode of "Clear the Mind to Savor the Image".Thirdly,the extension of aesthetic categories,i.e.,the use of aesthetic categories related to the character evaluation that comparing characters to natural objects such as "Qing" and"Jun" in poetry and painting theory.In conclusion,the aesthetic consciousness of nature embodied in the method of comparing characters to natural objects communicates the aesthetic appreciation of human and the aesthetic appreciation of art,making the concepts,methods,and categories of the character evaluation in Shi Shuo Xin Yu extend to the aesthetic appreciation of art,with great influence on art creation,art criticism,and art appreciation.At this point,the important themes of aesthetics,such as human(subject),nature(object),and art,can be reflected in the natural images of character evaluation in Shi Shuo Xin Yu,which shows the importance of the method of comparing characters to natural objects in the history of Chinese aesthetics.