Abstract: In the study of academic history, while “loyally retelling” requires scholars of later generations to understand the climax reached by predecessors in certain field, “creatively saying something more” means to question its limits. Such practice could be found in QIAN Zhongshu’s evaluation of the poetry of HUANG Zun-xian and WANG Guo-wei in his On the Art of Poetry (Tanyi Lu), which demonstrates that QIAN goes beyond LIANG Qi-chao in aesthetic judgement and cultural perspective. In the poetic circle in the late Qing Dynasty, it was only WANG Guo-wei, rather than HUANG Zun-xian praised highly by LIANG Qi-chao, who was capable of blending the essence of Western learning (instead of superficial opinions concerning Western institutions and material things) into classical poetry in perfect harmony. It is a pity that no scholar of literature history has “loyally retold” the insightful view QIAN presented in 1948. However, why could WANG Guo-wei, who studied in Japan for less than one year,have a much deeper understand of the essence of Western learning than HUANG Zun-xian, who had been frequently sent to Europe and the U.S. on diplomatic missions for nearly 20 years? This key question, which should have been put forward and answered by QIAN, leaves space for scholars of young generations to “creatively say something more”.

Key words: QIAN Zhong-shu, On the Art of Poetry, Poems of Renjinglu Villa, Poems of Jing&rsquo, an, &ldquo, Loyally Retelling&rdquo, , &ldquo, Creatively Saying Something More&rdquo