Compared with Confucius and Xuncius, Mencius influenced
Classical Chinese literary theory in his most distinctive way: Mencian
thinking and wisdom embodied in Mengzi and Mencian Poetics were to be gradually explored and digested by
classical Chinese literary theory only in the course of reception. According to the principle that Every word follows its own way, a comparative analysis of the essential shift in the poetic subject from Confucius to Mencius shows that Mencian view of adjusting one's attitude with mood embodies thinking and wisdom echoing with Western and contemporary literary theory. In the course of reception,
Classical Chinese literary theory undertook tremendous theoretical transformations and achieved unexpected results. Classical Chinese literary theory explored and absorbed Mencian thinking and wisdom of understanding the remarks and nurturing the mood, which indicates Mencian slight but steady influencing course to and his power of thinking on classical Chinese literary theory.