Abstract: Most of the imperial examination candidates in the early Qing Dynasty practiced both “current” prose (i.e.,eight-legged essays) and classical prose. At that time,it had become an irresistible trend to either “write the current prose as classical prose” or “write the classical prose as current prose”. The two types of prose not only rivaled in power but also enabled cross-fertilization,showing a state of entanglement. As one of the “three scholars in cloth gowns in the Jiangnan region”, Jiang Chenying was greatly influenced by his family tradition,local culture,and current trend. Throughout his life,he composed both current prose and classical prose. His current prose surpassed the compositions by contemporaneous literati,while his classical prose featured elegance and purity,thus building a strong reputation for him in the literary world. With his distinctive prose theory criticism and creation practice,Jiang Chenying stood apart from the distinction between current prose and classical prose,insisting on attaining the goal of “achieving immortality through words” and unequivocally advocated originality and personal touches in writing,which carries unique significance in both literature and intellectual history.

Key words: Jiang Chenying, literary reputation, the current prose, the classical prose