Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker

Wang Guowei

Master Sinologist, Pioneer of Modern Literary Aesthetics, and Formulator of the Dual-Evidence Method

Also known as Wang Jing'an · Jing'an · Guantang · Master Guantang · Renjian Cihua Zuozhe

Eminent polymath and Tsinghua mentor who synthesized Western philosophy and Chinese classicism in Renjian Cihua, pioneering the transformative 'Dual-Evidence Method' in archaeology and history.

Life and times

  1. 1877BornQingRepublican Era
  2. 1927Died

Works

  1. Literature · Criticism68
    1. Poetic Remarks in the Human WorldQingWang Guowei's 1908 remarks on ci, built on his idea of jingjie, judging poets from Tang to Song
    2. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Ci Values Jingjie Above AllQing
    3. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: The Realm with Self and the Realm without SelfQing
    4. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: The Three Realms of Great AchievementQing
    5. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Veiled and UnveiledQing
    6. +25 more
      1. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Remarks Published by the Author (64)Qing
      2. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Created Realms and Depicted RealmsQing
      3. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: The Selfless Realm Is Attained in StillnessQing
      4. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Things in Nature Limit One AnotherQing
      5. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Realm Is Not Scenery AloneQing
      6. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: "Spring Riots on the Red Apricot Bough"Qing
      7. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Realms Large and SmallQing
      8. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Yan Yu's "Inspired Interest" and JingjieQing
      9. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Li Bai Excels in Grand AtmosphereQing
      10. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Zhang Huiyan on Wen TingyunQing
      11. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: "Golden Partridges on a Painted Screen"Qing
      12. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: The Ci of the Middle Ruler of Southern TangQing
      13. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Wen, Wei and Li Yu ComparedQing
      14. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Li Yu Broadens the Vision of CiQing
      15. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: The Ci Poet Keeps a Child's HeartQing
      16. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Objective and Subjective PoetsQing
      17. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Nietzsche: Writing in BloodQing
      18. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Feng Yansi's Broad HallQing
      19. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Feng Yansi's Lesser-Known LinesQing
      20. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Ouyang Xiu's "Huanxisha"Qing
      21. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Mei Yaochen's "Sumuzhe"Qing
      22. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Three Songs on Spring GrassQing
      23. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: "Jianjia" and the Poet's DepthQing
      24. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Anxiety for Life, Anxiety for the WorldQing
      25. Poetic Remarks in the Human World: Ouyang Xiu's Abandon amid Deep FeelingQing
    7. Open all works→
  2. Literature · Sayings8
    1. Seeing Things Through the SelfQingLine from Wang Guowei's Remarks on Lyrics: the realm where the self colours all things
    2. Seeing Things as ThingsQingLine from Wang Guowei's Remarks on Lyrics: the selfless realm where self and things merge
    3. The Realm Where the Self DisappearsQingAphorism from Wang Guowei's Poetic Remarks in the Human World on scenes without the self
    4. The Realm Where the Self Is PresentQingAphorism from Wang Guowei's Poetic Remarks on scenes coloured by the poet's self
    5. A Lofty Style of Its Own: Wang Guowei's JingjieQingAphorism from Wang Guowei's Remarks on Ci: a lyric with jingjie attains a lofty style
    6. +3 more
      1. Where the Lamplight Is Dim: Wang Guowei's Third RealmQingLine from Wang Guowei's Remarks on Lyrics: after long searching, sudden discovery
      2. The Sash Grows Loose, Yet No Regrets: Wang Guowei's Second RealmQingLine from Wang Guowei's Remarks on Lyrics: wasting away for an ideal without regret
      3. In Lyric Poetry the Realm Comes First: Wang Guowei's Opening PrincipleQingOpening line of Wang Guowei's Remarks on Lyrics: the realm is the highest standard

Records

Author of Honglou meng pinglun and Renjian cihua

Late Qing and early Republic

Wang Guowei's works include Honglou meng pinglun, Renjian cihua and Song-Yuan xiqu shi. Early in his career he worked on philosophy and aesthetics, with scholarship covering literature, aesthetics, history, philosophy, epigraphy, oracle bones and archaeology.

References (1)

Yin-Zhou zhidu lun and the two-evidence method

Yin-Zhou zhidu lun published in 1917

He moved oracle-bone study from philology towards history, using the inscriptions to check records such as the Shiji, and proposed the two-evidence method combining excavated material with transmitted texts. He published Yin-Zhou zhidu lun in 1917, wrote Gushi xinzheng, and taught at Tsinghua's research institute from 1925 to 1927.

References (1)