意境及其历史命运

Yijing and Its Destiny in History

意境概念应当在文化根源更为深远的意象概念的基础上来理解。这样理解的意境就是由独特的意象所构成的整体。构成意境整体的意象的特点是:原样兴现,观照均衡,浑然融合,虚实相生。意境因而也具有这些特点,并且往往更为鲜明。在严格的意义上,外国诗歌中没有这样的意境,所以其诗论中也没有意境概念。意境也不是中国现代诗歌所追求的目标。对于整个中国古代诗歌来说,意境概念也只适宜用来指称以天人合一的文化为背景的诗歌境界(有些古代诗歌境界并不以天人合一的文化为背景)。将意境概念泛化地用来指称一切诗歌境界,是弊大于利的。

The concept of Yi}ing（the artistic concepuon, -意境 ） lJcc of the notion of image that has further cultural origins. Yiiing in this regard is a wholeness composed of unique pictures out of images. Image, as key element of Yi}ing, has the following characteristics： presenting the original forms of things, demanding a balance of things, integrating all in one, and combining void and substance, which are so with Yi}ing in a more clarified way. In a strict sense Yiiing is nonexistent in foreign poetry and thus there has no concept of Yiiing in foreign poetics. Modern Chinese poetry does not call for Yiiing neither. For ancient Chinese poetry the concept of Yijing is only applied to the realm of poetry that has Oneness of Heaven and Man as its background （some of ancient Chinese poems do not have the settings of Oneness of Heaven and Man）. The generalized application of the concept of Yijing to comprehend all types of poetic realm does not help with the development of poetics in China.