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Approaching Shanhaijing through the conceptual lens of “you”(wandering /traversal) allows for a clearer understanding of both its textual substratum and its mode of world-making. Within the intellectual context of the pre-Qin and Han periods, you evolved from a ritualized action into a poetic image, a philosophical category, and a knowledge-producing mode of travel, thereby providing the semantic groundwork for an itinerant mode of writing. The itinerant logic of Shanhaijing is generated through a distinctive set of linguistic mechanisms. At the level of syntax, the pervasive use of “observational grammar” constructs a constantly present yet grammatically effaced observing subject, formatting sensory perception and functional judgment into a reproducible chain of knowledge production. At the level of textual organization, the spatial syntax— structured through repeated cycles of arrival, observation, and departure —transforms spatial measurement and route extension into narrative momentum. This itinerant logic reshapes ancient conceptions of spatial order and destabilizes the concentric hierarchy exemplified by the Tribute of Yu (Yugong). Through the progressive unfolding of travel, certain peripheral landscapes are assigned central significance, embodying a dynamic principle in which “the center is always on the move.” The meaning of Shanhaijing thus does not arise from a pre-given, static order but is continually generated through the unfolding of movement itself. In this sense, its itinerant substratum reveals an early mode of spatial imagination in which travel functions as a primary means of producing knowledge, while also offering the deep structural foundations that later enabled the text’s transformation into exploration- and quest-based narrative forms.

This study examines how Han Yu's “Five Originals” series embodies and applies the pre-Qin Confucian concept of “rectification of names.” As a central figure in the Mid-Tang Classical Prose Movement, Han Yu sought to reconstruct Confucian moral order by tracing the philosophical “origins” of ethical and political categories, while countering Buddhist and Daoist influences. The essence of “original-style prose” lies in its pursuit of fundamental principles through conceptual clarification. Han Yu employed logical methods of classification and differentiation - as seen in his “Three Grades of Human Nature” in Yuan Xing and his definition of the Confucian Way through “benevolence” and “righteousness” in Yuan Dao - to establish conceptual clarity and normative unity, realizing the Confucian ideal of “rectifying names to rectify governance.” His style synthesized the precision of pre-Qin philosophical discourse with the elegance of classical prose, transforming linguistic rectification into an act of moral reconstruction. The influence of this genre proved enduring. Northern Song scholars like Shi Jie and Ouyang Xiu revered his works, while Southern Song Neo-Confucians like Zhu Xi incorporated them into the orthodox “transmission of the Way.” Through the imperial examination system, the argumentative mode of original-style prose became a model for literati rhetorical training, shaping subsequent academic writing. In conclusion, Han Yu's original-style prose provided both linguistic methodology and moral philosophical framework for the Confucian revival, bridging literature and philosophy while anticipating the development of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, thus establishing itself as a milestone in the history of Chinese prose and intellectual thought.

This study seeks to correct the conventional view that classified Lu You’s Entering Shu Poems as works from his middle period within the overall chronology of his poetry. To do so, it examines the themes and formal characteristics of all 63 poems composed during his journey into Shu. The content of these poems largely consists of the hardships of travel and reflections of regret in life, descriptions of the landscapes, geography, and local customs experienced along the road, and sentiments felt when visiting historical sites. Underlying these, however, are dissatisfaction with a reality in which he could not achieve his aspirations and lamentation over his own impoverished circumstances. Furthermore, an examination of the formal features—focusing on poetic subjects and rhyme schemes—reveals that, compared with the overall tendencies of his oeuvre, the pursuit of formal refinement and technical elegance is expressed even more clearly. Therefore, Lu You’s Entering Shu Poems should not be regarded as middle-period works, in which he began his full-fledged life in the Shu region and, through numerous patriotic poems, expressed with bold spirit his longing for the restoration of the Central Plains and his indomitable will to struggle. Rather, they should be seen as possessing the characteristics of his early poetic period, when he was still under the influence of the Jiangxi Poetry School and devoted his efforts to the refinement and pursuit of formal poetic techniques.