"Xian" And The Aesthetic Life Of Traditional Scholars In China

"Xian" is an important category in Chinese classic aesthetics. On one hand, it is an aesthetic personality in view of pointing to the highest spiritual state of Confucianism, Taoism and Zen. And on the other, it is an aesthetic lives in light of expressing the free cultural activities in leisure time. As compared with other aesthetics categories, it is of great significance for "Xian" not only embodied in art aesthetics, but more in cultural aesthetics. So from perspective of the cultural aesthetics, the paper systematically researches the aesthetic meaning of "Xian" for the traditional scholars' life in china, which is domestically original.After sketching word source, two dimensions, connotation spirits, aesthetic relations and the important status among Chinese aesthetics categories of "Xian", The paper starts into the main part from the vertical and horizontal clues.The former four chapters as a vertical clue, centering on the meta-category of "Xian" including some representative concepts, terms and propositions, master the aesthetic meaning in scholars' aesthetic consciousness, cultural lives and art theories. Concretely, the settlement of "Xin-Xian" as a spiritual state and "Xian-Ju" as a life style during the Pre-Qin dynasty; the establishment of "Xian-Qing" as aesthetic consciousness, the launching of "Xian-Ye" as cultural art practice, and "Xian" as art-creating theory during the Han, Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties; the accomplishment of "Xian-Yi", "Xian-Wei" as aesthetic personality, the rise of "Xian-Hua", "Xian-Tan", "Xian-Ping" as cultural and art talking, and "Xian" as maturity of art-style theory during the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties; the performance of "Xian-Qu" as secular aesthetic appeal, "Xian-Shang" as secular aesthetic lives, and the advocation of "Xian-Wen", "Xian-Bi" as art type and skill during the Ming and Qing dynasties.The fifth chapter as a horizontal clue, centering on sub-category of "Xian", master the use of the sub-categories with much aesthetic meaning in art critical theories. Consisting of "Xian-Jing" category sequence as aesthetic spirit; "Xian-Li", "Xian-Ya" category sequence as adorning but natural aesthetic style; "Xian-Kuang", "Xian-Yi" category sequence as non-adorning and free aesthetic style.Finally, the paper gives some discuss on "Xian-Xia" category sequence characteristic of corporality and time and without much aesthetic use, through which to see the possibility of traditional "Xiu-Xian" category transforming to modern leisure; and at the same time, make some cultural and aesthetic reflection on modern leisure.