Differentiating and Analyzing “Artistic Conception”,“Condition” and “Image” in Chinese Classic Literary Theory

Artistic Conception is a critical aesthetic category in Chinese classic aesthetic theory. It is common to mix Ar tistic Conception, Condition and Image together. But are those notions really the same thing? The nice ties of these three concepts will be discussed in depth in this article. The frequent references and emphasis of "Condition" in Wang Guowei's "Ren Jian Ci Hua" as well as the profoundly influence of "Ren Jian Ci Hua" made the tendency that "Condition" seems like a substitute for Artistic Conception. Meanwhile, the basic unit of poetry-image, often used interchangeably with Condition due to lack of clarification. All three concepts are very important Chinese aesthetic categories, close related and with certain overlaps though the basic characteristic and scope of usage have distinct differences, the boundaries among those concepts are not very obvious and comprehensible as well.