Ancient Chinese Literature

This thesis is with some characteristics of Chinese concepts and ways of thinking and feeling reflected in Chinese artistry. Our statements are derived from the economy of the regulated verse. These characteristics exist in Chinese artistry pervasively. Their origin,evolution and embodiment in Chinese artistry are examined.These concepts arose under the influence of Daoist,were supplemented and expanded by Xuan and Buddhist,and eventually evolved as "spirit and tone" - the unique concept in Chinese artistry. Capturing the spirit of life,nature,has been exemplified extensively in Chinese artistry. Full exploration of this problem is beyond the scope of this thesis. It is only illustrated with the regulated verse and literary painting.This thesis is organized as two chapters.In Chapter 1,the regulated verse is discussed. First the germ of the regulated verse and its classifications are talked about Then it is shown how the regulated verse was used to express the "spirit" of the scene and how the special style of the regulated verse leads to some singular characteristics in artistry.In Chapter 2,the chasing for "spirit" in Chinese artistry is described by extending from "the limited words,but unlimited expression" in the regulated verse. "Emotion and scene" and "spirit and tone" are illustrated Their origin can be traced back to old Chinese philosophy,then Daoist,Xuan and Buddhist and finally the formation of "spirit and tone". Last the literal painting is used as an example to show the embodiment of these philosophic concepts in Chinese artistry. The regulated verse is paralleled with the literal painting to show the influence of these concepts on Chinese artistry as a whole.