“形”、“神”和“形神之辨”是古典中国哲学的一对重要范畴和一个重要论题。其原义是用来对人体生命结构的哲学概括，同时也推衍于艺术、文学、建筑以及医学、武术等领域。随着国学热的兴起，学界对绘画、中医、养生、武术等领域的形神关系多有论述，但似乎尚未提升到文化哲学的高度。“‘形神统一’文化生命结构”这一概念的提出和论证，意在从哲学的视角揭示古典中国哲学“形神之辨”的文化哲学精义，对于当今的文化建设具有重要的方法论意义。

“Body/appearance” (xing) and “spirit”(shen) constitute a pair of important categories in ancient Chinese philosophy, while the distinction between them an significant theme. Originally as a philosophical reflection of the structure of human life, this pair of categories has prevailed in various fields such as art, literature, architecture, medicine and martial arts. Along with the arising interest in traditional Chinese learning, the relationship between body/appearance and spirit in painting, traditional Chinese medicine, the nourishing of life, martial arts and other fields has been widely discussed. However, neither discussion has reached the level of cultural philosophy. To propose and argue for the concept of the “structure of culture and life” in the “unity of body/appearance and spirit” is to reveal the implication of cultural philosophy in the “distinction between body/appearance and spirit” in ancient Chinese philosophy as well as its methodological significance to current cultural construction.