Abstract:

The concept of yixiang (aesthetic images) manifested in mythology is primordial in form. Unlike the concept of yixiang in later aesthetics, it lacks clearly defined semantic orientation; it is a sensuous rather than a rational conceptual form, projecting and embodying the emotional memory and life consciousness of China’s ancient forebears. An inquiry into the emergence of this primordial concept through ancient Chinese mythology reveals its significance in progenitor myths: their emphasis on fertility worship, low degree of anthropomorphism, weak narrative elements, and yixiang-oriented mode of thought. The significance of yixiang in ancient Chinese mythology lies chiefly in its reverence for life, the transformation of mythic images into images of human ethical relations, forms whose meanings shifts between obscurity and clarity, and the primacy of spatial awareness over temporal awareness. The conception of yixiang and the patterns of thought manifested in ancient Chinese mythology were preserved in subsequent culture and exerted a profound influence on Chinese culture, art, and aesthetics.

Key words: primordial concept of yixiang, progenitor myths, fertility worship, degree of anthropomorphism, spatial awareness, yixiang-oriented thought