Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.6, 2013

The Instrument Metaphor and Chinese Literary Criticism: Based on the Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons

(Abstract)

Yan Yuezhen

Comparing an instrument and its manufacturing experience to literature is not new in the Chinese history of literary criticism. Such comparison is based on the similarities between instrument manufacturing and literary writing in composition and decoration, and is a result of the ritual and musical civilization. The evolvement from the instrument metaphor to a literary criticism paradigm reflects the pursuit for norms and the recognition of models of artistic creation. The terms established in the experience of instrument manufacturing gradually become internalized in the Chinese language, giving rise to a number of basic concepts and categories in Chinese literary criticism. The instrument metaphor has broken the barriers between literature and disciplines such as sculpture, music, architecture and founding, enabling them to learn from and extend to each other. Therefore, instrument manufacturing has transcended the significance of the handicraft itself, but has acquired powerful explicability. The instrument metaphor is a general literary experience providing discourse for dialogue between Chinese poetry and Western poetry. It is also of importance for the reflection on the existing problems with contemporary literature and arts.