In a narrow sense, aesthetic education is defined as "art education" in the extreme sense. Its general definition is: aesthetic education refers to aesthetic education, aesthetic education, aesthetic education and aesthetic literacy education. Aesthetic education in a broad sense, some people think: "The real aesthetic education is the education formed by infiltrating aesthetic principles into the teaching of various disciplines."
Another dimension change in the process of defining aesthetic education from narrow sense to broad sense is: from formal aesthetic education to substantive aesthetic education. The so-called "formal aesthetic education" refers to educational activities aimed at cultivating the aesthetic quality of the object (such as aesthetic ability, ability to appreciate beauty and create beauty, etc.). On the other hand, "substantial aesthetic education" pursues the spiritual essence of aesthetic education through the above goals: the aesthetic taste of life and the aesthetic realm of education.
It has become the core of modern aesthetic education to emphasize the promotion of aesthetic education to poetic life. In this way, the concept of aesthetic education should not only move from narrow sense to broad sense, but also realize the revolution from form to substance.