本文以南朝齐梁之际的思想家、文学理论家刘勰所著的《文心雕龙·神思》为研究对象，深入探究《神思》在美学层面的意旨。“神思”是中国古典美学的一个重要范畴，肇自先秦，经两汉孕育，在魏晋南北朝时期经历了正式形成到发展的过程，《文心雕龙·神思》是“神思”观成熟的标志。本文通过梳理神思概念的演变，以及神思作为艺术创作论范畴的生成过程，并从才性、志气、辞令三个维度对《神思》篇的美学意蕴进行深入剖析，揭示出《神思》篇并非局限在如何作文的文章学立场，也没有空谈想象而忽略文学创作，而是统筹了文章论与形而上的两个层面，兼谈了艺术构思与艺术表达两个环节。本文主要围绕《神思》篇的三个核心范畴展开探讨：一是才性。魏晋人材思想由政治领域进一步影响到文学艺术领域，《神思》篇多次论及作家的性情和学问对其文学创作的影响。一方面，情性作为个体先天禀赋的特性，对文学创作篇幅、构思速度、文章质量等多方面产生关键性作用；另一方面，学问作为个体后天积累的资源，能够解决创作中贫、乱两类问题，进而反哺滋养作家先天的心性。先天性情与后天学问相结合，共同培育了作家心灵。二是志气。受《易传》与《庄子》的影响，刘勰创造性地构建了神思与神与物游的新内涵。神、志气的提出不仅为神与物游的艺术构思环节奠定形而上的基础，还能够表现创作者的心性品质，突出作品的内在生命力和感染力。此外，刘勰还强调了创作主体需“疏瀹五藏，澡雪精神”、“调畅其气”，养气而不费心神，由此达到孕育神思的最好心灵状态。三是辞令。受魏晋时期新的自然审美观影响，人与山水的关系由感兴或物感发展为寓目身观。在神与物游的艺术表达环节，刘勰关于“物无隐貌”的言尽意和“文外曲致”的言不尽意的讨论，实现了言意之辨的诗学美学转换，为文学语言的诗性特征确立了应有的地位和价值。刘勰将言以尽意提升到言以尽道的本体论层面，即以文章作为宇宙本体即道的显现，要求作品能够再现天地境界，实现人与天地万物在根本意义上的统一，为文章之存在提供了形而上的依据。刘勰的《文心雕龙·神思》的美学意蕴深厚，是解读纵贯中国古典美学的“神思”观的一篇核心文献，发挥了重要的承前启后的作用。本文试图通过《神思》篇中才性、志气、辞令这三个最为核心且紧密相关的子命题，将本篇的美学意旨挖掘呈现出来，为中国古典美学诗学中的“神思”观的进一步研究提供一个视角。

This thesis focuses on the“Shensi” chapter of The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, a work by Liu Xie, a renowned thinker and literary theorist from the Qi and Liang periods of the Southern Dynasties. It delves into the aesthetic significance of “Shensi”, a vital concept in Chinese classical aesthetics. The notion of“Shensi” traced its roots back to the pre-Qin era, was further nurtured during the Han Dynasty, and underwent formal development during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The“Shensi” chapter of The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons represents the culmination of the evolution of the“Shensi” concept, symbolizing its maturity within the broader framework of Chinese aesthetic thought. This thesis examines the development of the concept shensi and its establishment as a category within the theory of artistic creation. It offers a detailed analysis of the aesthetic essence of shensi, exploring its dimensions through talent and character, zhiqi, and ciling. The analysis reveals that“Shensi” is not merely an introduction to how to write a paper or imagination but rather encompasses a broader spectrum.“Shensi” integrates both the writing theory and metaphysical connotation and addresses artistic conception and expression. This thesis delves into the three core aspects of “Shensi” as delineated by Liu Xie: talent and character, zhiqi, and ciling. Talent and character is examined through the lens of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, where the notion extended its influence from politics to literature and art. The“Shensi” chapter in Liu Xie’s work scrutinizes how an author’s temperament and learning impact literary creation. Temperament, an individual’s inherent trait, significantly affects the extent, pace, and quality of literary output. Learning, an acquired trait, addresses the challenges of creative scarcity and disorder, nourishing the writer’s intrinsic mind. This synergy between inborn talent and learning is crucial for nurturing the literary mind. Zhiqi, as Liu Xie posits, is redefined through the influences of Yizhuan and Zhuangzi, crafting new meanings around shensi and the interaction between the mind and the subject matter. This not only established a metaphysical groundwork for artistic conception but also highlighted the creator’s mindset, imbuing the work with inherent vitality and allure. Liu Xie further underscores the necessity for creators to attain an optimal spiritual state through yangqi, facilitating a profound mental environment conducive to artistic creation. Ciling reflects the era’s shift towards a new natural aesthetics, where the interaction between humans and landscape grows from ganxing or wugan into yumu and shenguan. In articulating artistic expression, Liu Xie realized the poetic and aesthetic transformation of distinguishing the relationship between words and meanings. His discourse elevates language from a mere tool of expression to an ontological medium that conveys the Dao, situating literary works as manifestations of the universe’s essence. Through this, heenvisages a literary domain where the work not only mirrors the cosmic order but also embodies the fundamental unity of humanity and nature, thus offering a metaphysical justification for literary existence. Liu Xie’s“Shensi” chapter of The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons embodies deep aesthetic significance and serves as an important text in interpreting the notion of shensi within Chinese classical aesthetics. It acts as a bridge linking historical and future developments in this field. This article aims to delve into and elucidate the aesthetic essence of“Shensi” through the examination of its three integral and interrelated aspects: talent and character, zhiqi, and ciling. By doing so, it seeks to advance the understanding of the concept shensi within the framework of Chinese classical aesthetics and poetics, offering a new perspective for scholarly research.