Abstract: “Sublime and Ancient” is an important category in the history of Chinese poetry and aesthetics,covering many fields such as poetry,calligraphy,and painting,and its frequency of use is extremely high.However,in different periods and contexts,the connotation or discourse semantics of the category of “Sublime and Ancient” may vary,and there may even be significant differences.From the perspective of category history,when examining the aesthetics of “Sublime and Ancient” poetry,it can be found that the Hao Jing during the Jin and Yuan dynasties was different from the late Tang Dynastys Sikong Tu and the Southern Song Dynasty’s Yan Yu.The latter had a clear tendency towards Buddhism and Taoism,while Hao Jing highlighted the essence of the classics under the revival of Confucianism in the early Yuan Dynasty,which was associated with the “elegant” spirit of The Book of Songs.

Key words: category history, Sublime and Ancient, poetry aesthetics, Hao Jing, Confucian extension