Frontiers of Philosophy in China >

2009 , Vol. 4 >Issue 1: 52 - 63

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11466-009-0004-7

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The boundaries of beauty in Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics

  • ZHANG Qian
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  • School of Art and Design, Wuhan Technology University, Wuhan 430070, China

Published date: 05 Mar 2009

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2014 Higher Education Press and Brill
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Abstract

“Beauty” is a very important concept in Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics. Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics generally had two viewpoints when defining beauty: Negatively, by stressing that “beauty” in the aesthetic sense was not “good”; and positively, by stressing two factors: one, that beauty was related to “feeling” which was not an animal instinct, the other was that “beauty” was a special texture with a particular meaning. “Beauty” in Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics may be defined as “texture (or form)” capable of communicating feeling or triggering a reaction of feeling.

Key words： beauty; Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics; boundary; feeling; wen

Cite this article

ZHANG Qian . The boundaries of beauty in Pre-Qin Confucian aesthetics[J]. Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 2009 , 4(1) : 52 -63 . DOI: 10.1007/s11466-009-0004-7

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