The Esthetic Study Of Ciyuan

Ci Yuan is a systematic and integrated book on the word theory written with its own unique understanding, which acts as the rule for the word field and the theory for the word scholars. This book gives a panoramic description of word from the perspective of rhythm,"Pai Yan","Zhi Qu" and "syntax","word level", and "empty word""Qing Kong""Yi Qu" as well. Meanwhile, as an outstanding esthetic work, it puts forward "Qing Kong","Ya Zheng" and "Yi Qu" theory with great esthetic value, and constructs a relatively integrated esthetic system. This thesis will outline and analysis Ci Yuan in terms of aesthetics in order to expand the esthetic knowledge of Ci Yuan and the word theory in both Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.Chapter one explores the origin of esthetic ideas of Ci Yuan. Rooting in the esthetic taste of Southern Song Dynasty and Zhang Yan’s family background and life experience, the emergence of Ci Yuan relies on the ideological foundation of the traditional Confucian poetry and Taoism and Buddhism philosophy, it also benefits from the prevailing word refinement at the twilight of Song Dynasty and the long time confrontation between "poetic theory" and "nature theory", and it is inspired by "Five Points on Poetry Writing" and "Riddles of Yue Fu" written by Shen Yifu.Chapter2discusses the esthetic construction of Ci Yuan. With Chinese unique reflective and at arm’s length way of thinking, Ci Yuan has constructed a relatively complete esthetic system. It has both word body source theory dated back to Ci Le and the esthetic theory of word body which highlights the beauty of consonance, euphemism and elegance, and objects to poetrilizaion and dramanization so as to sustain the nature of word body. Moreover, it owns the ideal esthetic theory that takes Ya Zheng and Qing Kong as its ultimate esthetic pursuit, and the word poetry writing theory containing both internal implication beauty and external form beauty. Finally, it possesses word poetry criticism theory which emphasizes readers’esthetic feeling and centers on the work.Part3analysis the influence and limitations of the esthetic ideas of Ci Yuan. The core aesthetic view of Ya Zheng, Qing Kong and rhyme in Ci Yuan has deeply influenced later word poetry field, especially the Zhe Xi school of word poetry. And its historical limitations lie in the vagueness resulted from lack of logical argument and the narrow-mindedness resulted from over persistent of individual esthetic value,and the coming thin condition of Word creation.