Listen to this articlediǎnyǎ 典雅
Classical Elegance
指文章典范雅正。最初指写文章要有经典依据，文章的思想内容应纯正高尚，以经典文献特别是儒家的义理规章作为审美规范，后侧重指文章的文辞和风格高雅优美而不浅俗艳浮。其后，“典雅”这一术语又逐步融入道家自然恬淡、超尘出世的审美意蕴，如司空图在《二十四诗品》中用“落花无言，人淡如菊”来描述“典雅”，就很接近道家自然恬淡的风格。
This term refers to a type of writing that is classically elegant. Originally, it meant that a piece of writing should be modeled on ancient classics, express pure and noble ideas, and follow classical literary styles by using Confucian doctrines for aesthetic guidance. Later, the term shifted to emphasize elegant diction and style that were free from vulgarity and frivolity. Later still, it gradually incorporated Daoist aesthetic views, suggesting natural tranquility and spiritual transcendence. For example, in “Twenty-four Styles of Poetry,”Sikong Tu described classical elegance as being “as quiet as falling flower petals and as modest as unassuming daisies,” which is close to the simple, relaxed, and natural style advocated by Daoist scholars.
引例 Citations：
◎典雅者，熔式经诰，方轨儒门者也。（刘勰《文心雕龙·体性》）
（所谓典雅，就是取法于儒家经典文献，遵照儒家义理章法。）
Classical elegance is achieved by emulating the Confucian classics and following Confucian doctrines in literary creation. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
◎［徐干］著《中论》二十篇，成一家之言，辞义典雅，足传于后。（曹丕《与吴质书》）
（［徐干］著《中论》二十篇，成一家之言，文辞有典据而高雅，足以传之于后世。）
Xu Gan wrote his 20-chapter book Discourses That Hit the Mark, establishing a distinctive theory of his own. The carefully-researched, well-elaborated and highly elegant writings deserve to be passed on to future generations. (Cao Pi: A Letter to Wu Zhi)
