Writing That Flows like Water
This term originally referred to water,which,without a fixed shape,flows along the contours of objects or land.Song Dynasty writer Su Shi(1037-1011)used it to describe literary writing that was smooth and free like water,showing both the writer's creative power and his adherence to the laws of nature and human society.This style of writing endeavors to achieve harmony between a motif and expressive techniques and to merge emotion,landscapes,events and moral lessons into an aesthetic whole.This term mayy have been influenced by the Daoist beliefs that "the highest virtue is like water"and that "water is the most exact equivalent of the Way"as well as the Buddhist faith in following karma.It also gives expression to an artisti's personality,artistic attainment and capability.
原义指水流无形，随地理形貌或自然物至呈现千变万化的形态。宋代文学家苏轼（1037-1101）用它来形容文艺创作应像水流一样流畅自然而又灵活多变，既遵循客家事物的规律，又体现作家自由创作意志，从而达到立意与表现技巧自在圆融，情、景、事、理妙合无间的审美境界。这一术语可能受了道家“上善若水”、水“几于道”与佛教“随缘自适”思想的影响，也是艺术家人格、学养、技艺的综合体现。
