Abstract:

Zhu Guangqian and Qian Zhongshu have significant positions in the history of contemporary Chinese aesthetics. They not only possess rich and profound aesthetic thoughts, but also serve as important representatives who adhere to the doctrine that history and poetry are opposite. From the perspective of historical aesthetics, Zhu Guangqian, based on the assertions of Aristotle and Hegel, argued that historiography lacks the poetic universality and the capacity to reveal essence, whereas poetry, through verisimilitude, manifests necessary laws. Although Qian Zhongshun, in his Limited Veiws (Guanzhui Bian), revealed the resonance between historical writing and literature through propositions such as “poetry can express grievances”, he, in his Annotations on Song Poetry (Songshi Xuanzhu) criticized Chen Yinke’s method of the “mutual verification between poetry and history”, denying the legitimacy of verifying history with poetry. Historical aesthetics embodies the tension between the “quest for truth” in empirical evidences and the “quest for beauty” in narratives. Despite their divergent approaches, Chen Yinke’s methodology of “mutual interpretation of classical and modern allusions” and Qian Zhongshu’s “theory of poetic heart” ultimately converge, collectively highlighting the holistic thinking of Chinese academic studies, which is grounded in local contexts and integrates humanistic care.

Key words: the doctrine that history and poetry are opposite, historical aesthetics, Zhu Guangqian, Qian Zhongshu, Chen Yinke