In ancient poetry theory, there are two propositions: "Poetry expresses ambition" and "Poem expresses emotions". "Theory of Yan Zhi" appeared in "Shangshu", and "Theory of Lyrical Expression" came into being in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
"Emotion" is a kind of instinct that people are born with, and it is an existence inherent in human nature that has not been modified by reason.
The ancients have long recognized this. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals·Guisheng": "People are born with greed and desires, desires have emotions, and emotions have restraints. The sage cultivates restraints to stop desires, so he can only follow his emotions. Therefore, the ear
The five sounds of desire, the five colors of desire, and the five tastes of desire." "Book of Rites: Jiayun": "What is human emotion?
Happiness, anger, sadness, love. The seven things of fear, love, hatred, and desire can be mastered without learning."
"Ambition" is different. "Zhi" means "knowledge", and its original meaning refers to the psychological function of intellectual cognition. It is the psychological state when the mind consciously moves towards a certain object. "Xunzi·Lectures on Music"
It is said: "Easy to say one? It is said: Holding the spirit is like being solid. What is it called God? It is said: It is called God to do the best and governing it. What is solid? Said:
Nothing can be said to be solid. God calls him a saint, and he is the one who governs the world.
This is the way of a hundred kings. The principles of etiquette and music are the same. The poem says, "Ambition"
Obviously, the "ambition" mentioned by Xunzi has the characteristics of "perfection" and intransferability. Therefore, "ambition" "Already
is not an instinct that people are born with. It has been cast by reason and has removed the factors of sensibility and desire. It is the result of "emotion" consciously and purposefully moving towards a certain object. Its
The core content includes Confucian feudal ethics and moral concepts such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.
It is precisely because of this difference between "emotion" and "ambition" that there is also an essential difference between the "lyrical theory" and the "expressive theory of ambition"
The "Lyric Theory" affirms literature's expression of people's normal emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, joy, etc., and affirms people's normal desires; while the "Yan Zhi Theory" emphasizes that literature expresses rational
The performance of wisdom affirms the carving of human nature by feudal ethics and moral principles