Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2022

The Aesthetic Dimension of the Theory of Qi

(Abstract)

Zhang Jing

The concept of qi is found in both Chinese and Western philosophies, and it exists as a fundamental element in the creation of all things. There are many similarities between them. However, the Chinese theory of qi has become a main vein of Chinese philosophy, and it has also influenced Chinese literary and artistic creation ideas and aesthetic concepts in a general way. The dichotomy between matter and spirit in Western philosophy is not present in the development of the Chinese qi theory. The body, morality, and creative thinking of the Chinese qi theory are integrated. The “nurturing of qi” has become the basic condition for the self-cultivation of writers and artists. The integrity and sense of life of a work comes from the fullness of qi in it.