Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 1, 2026

Poetry Zen, Painting Zen and Shenyun: The Convergence of Ancient Poetry and Painting Theory

(Abstract)

Zhang Yi

The emphasis on shenyun (artistic charm) in discussions of poetry and painting has a long intellectual lineage in China. The metaphor of “sounds in the air, colors in forms” used to evoke poetic shenyun laid an important foundation for ancient theories of shenyun poetics and offered valuable insight into transcending gediao (style) toward evaluating poetry in terms of xingxiang fengshen (inspiration, imagery, and spirit). The transition from poetry Zen to painting Zen marked a critical stage in the development of Eastern shenyun aesthetics, bridging textual wisdom and experiential wisdom at the level of the mind. Through the integration of Confucianism and Buddhism and the unity of Zen and Pure Land Buddhist thought, this transition expanded the intellectual space for the creation and appreciation of poetry and painting, guiding aesthetic experience from Zen joy and Zen-style meditative concentration toward Zen enlightenment. The Southern School’s admiration for Wang Wei’s view that poetry and painting share a “unity of origin” profoundly shaped its own artistic practice as well as the creation of shenyun poetry. Exchange and collaboration between leading advocates of shenyun poetics and Southern School painters and calligraphers not only deepened understanding of the “Samadhi of poets” and the innocent liveliness of Southern School art, but also fostered an artistic ethos that prized qingmei (quiet beauty), revered shenyi (spiritual leisure), and appreciated yuanyun (distant charm), contributing to the broader development of a Chinese aesthetic culture grounded in the principle of following the “way” of nature.