Culture

[Improving Writing Style: Let's Talk About It] With a Wind and Water Style, Writing Naturally

2025-04-11   

In ancient times, when evaluating literature, they often compared it to people, seeing literature as having life like that of people, and "turning the article into a humanized or lifelike form" (as Qian Zhongshu said). That's why a good article should be like a healthy living organism, with flesh, blood, bones, grace, composure, and pleasing to the eye. People have a thousand faces, and there are also a thousand types of literature. Each person has their own nature, and literature has its own form. Cao Pi's "Dian Lun: Essays" had long proposed the concept of "four subjects and eight styles": "memorials should be elegant, literary criticism should be rational, inscriptions should be practical, and poetry and prose should be beautiful." Wang Anshi also emphasized the importance of "first establishing the system and then the work of writing should be poor." This kind of consciousness of distinguishing styles is very prominent in the history of Chinese literary criticism, and in summary, it is "literary excellence and appropriateness. The concept of 'literary excellence and appropriateness' can be analyzed into three levels: the body of the article, the body of the author, and the body of the reader. The so-called 'style of writing' refers to determining the writing style based on the nature and stylistic characteristics of different articles. The ancient writings included edicts, memorials, book reviews, inscriptions, mourning ceremonies, discussions on strategies, prefaces and postscripts, travelogues, etc. They were applied in different contexts, thus forming the unique characteristics of literary style, and the writing style also needed to be adapted to them. Official documents must be strict and orderly, and their words must be accompanied by criticism; Private writing can be free from taboo and emotional in writing. If the inherent normativity of literary style cannot be respected, it will inevitably lose its integrity and even be laughed at. The same goes for today's essay. Government documents do not need to use fancy words, people are more concerned about their accuracy and logic; Prose travelogues can reflect on the past and express themselves, giving people the enjoyment of beauty. All of these should conform to the principle of 'appropriateness'. The so-called 'obtaining the body of the author' emphasizes the compatibility between literary style and the author's identity. Expert speeches and articles should have viewpoints and evidence. Everyone hopes to obtain authoritative information from experts, which requires that articles written in the identity of experts cannot conceal facts, fabricate data, or pass off falsehoods as true. Ordinary people cannot write articles out of thin air or without logic. People have different expectations for reading articles and varying levels of trust in the authors, which involves the concept of 'acquiring the reader's body'. Article writing always has a predetermined readership, and the positioning of the readership also affects the choice of writing style. As the saying goes, 'Sing whatever song you go to the mountain.' For the general public, the writing style should be more popular, avoiding professional vocabulary, obscure allusions, and not overly concerned with language and embellishment; For professional readers, they should skip the introduction of common sense and directly focus on academic issues, which is simple and effective, and more practical. When facing readers of different cultural levels and age groups, the writing style should also change with each person and be appropriate. Of course, although literature has its own form, it has its own positive changes and cannot move towards standardization or template based writing. Excellent authors often break through the form and develop their writing style while grasping its characteristics, showcasing the charm of "writing naturally and gracefully". (New Society)

Edit:momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao

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