Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2023

“Wei (Taste)” and Traditional Chinese Poetry Criticism

(Abstract)

Zhang Yuhu

The sense of taste is neglected in Western aesthetics, while “wei (taste)” is an important concept in Chinese literary criticism, especially in poetry criticism, for it already owns a special place in Chinese culture. In poetics, “wei” as a verb represents the attitude of appreciation (aesthetics); wei as a noun corresponds to different poetic ideals. By the Song Dynasty, theory of “wei” had been thoroughly developed, and all of its implications were disclosed.