Wang Shizhen (1634 ~1711), whose real name is Ruan Ting, is also a good fisherman in Yangshan. A famous poet in the early Qing Dynasty, he was a leader in poetry for 50 years. He wrote My Talk in Chibei, Notes on Xiangzu, Miscellaneous Notes on Gufu Fishing Pavilion, and Harmony.
The core of Wang Shizhen's poetic theory is the theory of "verve". In his early years, he compiled "Charm Collection" to teach students, and in his later years, he compiled "Samadha Collection of Tang Xian" to explore the aesthetic characteristics of the poems of Wang, Meng, Wei and Liu in the Tang Dynasty, and thought that the word "Charm" was a good way to discuss poetry. Later applied to the theory of figure painting, it refers to the charm of characters. Hu Yinglin, Lu Shiyong and Wang Fuzhi in the Ming Dynasty all commented on poetry with verve. In fact, Wang Shizhen summed up Wang from Zhong Rong, Si Kongtu and Yan Yu's poetic thoughts of "taste", "rhyme" and "wonderful enlightenment" and Dong Qichang's painting theory of Nanzong.
The center of Wang Shizhen's theory of "verve" is the aesthetic expression of poetry. He thinks that the poet's feelings for the subject cannot be directly and comprehensively stated, and there is no need to describe the scenery comprehensively and meticulously. For example, only one scale and one claw are used to draw dragons, and only a little pen and ink is used to draw landscapes. However, through the scale of this painting and a claw, we can show the overall style and boundless landscape of the dragon. Wang Shizhen believes that images should completely serve the expression of emotions, which can transcend a certain time and space and may not necessarily conform to the reality of nature. For example, Wang Wei painted Banana in the Snow, which Wang Shizhen called Wake Up, which is a masterpiece. He said:
Fu's poetry has its roots, its prosperity, and you can't have both. The image in the mirror, the moon in the water, the color in the phase, the antelope hanging on the corner, there is no trace to be found, this prosperity is also. The elegance of this book, from its source, traces back to Chu Sao and Yuefu poems, reaches its flow, and is poor and miscellaneous.
That is to say, from temperament to prosperity to charm. "Qing" and "Yuan" are the aesthetic characteristics of the realm of verve poetry. The so-called "Qing" is a kind of aesthetic feeling beyond the secular. "Far" has profound meaning and is also a spirit of transcendence. This kind of feelings and spirit is best placed in the mountains and rivers. Therefore, the essence of "verve" is to turn the virtual into the real, to combine the virtual with the real, and to be "implicit and meaningful" (silkworm tail)