Abstract: In her book Wang Guowei and His Literary Criticism, Mdm. Ye Jiaying describes the theory of poetic state as "a vivid expression in the work [… of] the feelings of the author." If Ye's interpretation of the theory is interpreted within the context of the book, however, it may be found that Ye's interpretation is insufficiently supported by the theoretical discourse and practice. The problem in Ye's interpretation include the following. Firstly, her interpretation of the essence of the theory dissolves not only the intrinsic characteristic of "the emotion" and "the scene" but also the poet's conscious artistic pursuit and active emotional engagement. Secondly, Ye's interpretation in terms of subjective expressionism simplifies the dual nature of the poetic state which integrates both the subjective and the objective representation. Thirdly, Ye's interpretation expands the original concept. Fourthly, when interpreting the creative state and descriptive state, Ye leaves no space for the former, while interpreting the self-involved and the self-detached states, she brings the interests in the physical world into aesthetic contemplation and artistic creation. The paper maintains that Wang Guowei's theory of the poetic state is not built on the feelings of the author but on inbuilt nature of the scene and the emotion.

Key words: the theory of the poetic state, feeling, Wang Guowei, Ye Jiaying, meaning realm