有有我之境，有无我之境。“泪眼问花花不语，乱红飞过秋千去。”“可堪孤馆闭春寒，杜鹃声里斜阳暮。”有我之境也。“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”，“寒波澹澹起，白鸟悠悠下。”无我之境也。

有我之境，以我观物，故物皆著我之色彩。无我之境，以物观物，故不知何者为我，何者为物。古人为词，写有我之境者为多，然未始不能写无我之境，此在豪杰之士能自树立耳。

There is the personal state (yu-wo chih-ching) and there is the impersonal state (wu-wo chil-ching).

With tear-filled eyes I ask the flowers but they do not speak.

Red petals swirl past the swing away.

How can I bear it, shut within this lonely inn against the spring cold?

Slanting through the cuckoo’s cries the sun’s rays at dusk.

These are examples of the personal state.

I pluck chrysanthemums by the eastern fence,

Far distant appear the southern mountains.

The cold waves rise smoothly, quietly

White birds glide softly down.

These are examples of the impersonal state. In the personal state the poet views objects in terms of himself and so everything takes on his own coloring. In the impersonal state the poet views objects in terms of objects and so one cannot tell what is the poet himself and what is the object. Most of the ancient tz’u poets described the personal state. However, that is not to say they have not been able to describe the impersonal state, but to do this takes an unrestrained, brave poet able to stand completely independently.

无我之境，人惟于静中得之。有我之境，于由动之静时得之。故一优美，一宏壮也。

The impersonal state can only be attained by a man in complete quietude. The personal state is attained in the quiet which follows a conscious act. Therefore the one is beautiful (yu-mei), the other sublime (hung-chuang).

自然中之物，互相关系，互相限制。然其写之于文学及美术中也，必遗其关系、限制之处。故虽写实家，亦理想家也。又虽如何虚构之境，其材料必求之于自然，而其构造，亦必从自然之法则。故理想家，亦写实家也。

Objects in nature are mutually related and at the time mutually restrictive. But in describing them in literature and art one must disregard those points of relationship and restriction. Thus, even though one may be a realist, one is also an idealist. And again, no matter how imaginary the state (hsu-kou chih ching) one may construct, the materials must be sought in nature, and the construction must follow the laws of nature (tzu-jan chih fa-lu). Thus, even though one may be an idealist, one must also be a realist.

境非独谓景物也。喜怒哀乐，亦人心中之一境界。故能写真景物、真感情者，谓之有境界。否则谓之无境界。

The [poetic] state is not limited to scenery and objects alone. Pleasure and anger, sorrow and joy are also a sort ofching-chieh in men’s hearts. Therefore those poems which can describe true scenery and objects, true emotions and feelings, can be said to possess ching-chieh. Otherwise they may be said to lack ching-chieh.

“红杏枝头春意闹”，著一“闹”字，而境界全出。“云破月来花弄影”，著一“弄”字，而境界全出矣。

‘Red apricot blossoms along the branch, spring feelings stir. With that one word ‘stir’ (nao 闹) the ching-chieh of the poem is completely expressed. ‘As the moon breaks through the clouds, flowers play with their shadows’. With that one word ‘play’ (nung 弄) the ching-chieh of the poem is completely expressed.

境界有大小，不以是而分优劣。“细雨鱼儿出，微风燕子斜。”何遽不若“落日照大旗，马鸣风萧萧。”“宝帘闲挂小银钩”，何遽不若“雾失楼台，月迷津渡”也。

 Ching-chieh may be either large or small, so one cannot use this as a basis for determining the excellence or inferiority of a poem.

Little fish jump in the fine rain,

Swallows dip their wings in the faint breeze?

Can certainly stand comparison with

The large banners glow in the setting sun

As horses neigh and wind soughs sieu-sieu.

And cannot

Precious curtains casually clasped with tiny silver hooks,

stand comparison with

Mist enfolds the tower and pavilion

严沧浪《诗话》谓“盛唐诸公唯在兴趣，羚羊挂角，无迹可求。故其妙处，透彻玲珑，不可凑泊。如空中之音、相中之色、水中之影、镜中之象，言有尽而意无穷。”余谓：北宋以前之词，亦复如是。然沧浪所谓兴趣，阮亭所谓神韵，犹不过道其面目；不若鄙人拈出“境界”二字，为探其本也。

 Yen Yu in his Ts’ang-lang shih-hua said: ‘The poets of the Golden T’ang period were concerned only about inspiration and interest (hsing-ch’u). Like the antelope that hangs by its horns leaving no discernible traces on the ground, their excellence lay in their crystal-like transparency, no more to be grasped than sound in empty space, changing color in the meaning went on forever’. It is my opinion that the tz’u of the Northern Sung and before were also like this. However, what Yen Yu called inspiration and interest and what Wang Shih-chen called spirit and tone (shen-yun) only seem to touch the surface, while the two characters which I have chosen, ching-chieh, really probe the fundamental aspect of poetry.