Gazing at the Sea: Maritime Wisdom, Imagination, and the Oceanic Sublime — Similarities and Differences in Chinese and Western Maritime Literature

Journal of Maritime Literature and Culture

JMLC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.75-82.

Print ISSN: 3107-1821; Online ISSN: 3107-183X

Journal homepage: https://www.mlcjournal.com

DOI： https://doi.org/10.64058/JMLC.26.1.06

观海•航海智慧与想象力•海洋升华

——中西方海洋文学的异质和同质

倪浓水（Ni Nongshui）

摘要：中西方的海洋文学，都与一般性文学同步形成和发展。《奥德赛》和《山海经》分别是它们的源头。不同的海洋认知和文化传统，导致中西方有不同的海洋诗学品质。但是海洋本就是浑然一体，中西方也有共同的“母亲海洋”的情感，所以中西方的海洋诗学，又有同质的存在。在“海洋升华”的共同追求中，这种同质性必将会有更多的融合。

关键词：中西方；海洋文学；诗学品质

作者简介：倪浓水，浙江海洋大学教授，研究方向：中国文学、海洋文学、海洋人文。电子邮箱：719692945@qq.com。

Title: Gazing at the Sea: Maritime Wisdom, Imagination, and the Oceanic Sublime — Similarities and Differences in Chinese and Western Maritime Literature

Abstract: Both Chinese and Western maritime literature evolved alongside their mainstream literary traditions, with Homer’s Odyssey and China’s Classic of Mountains and Rivers serving as their respective fountainheads. Divergent perceptions of the ocean and distinct cultural traditions have given rise to distinct qualities in their maritime poetics. Yet, the sea itself knows no borders; a shared sentiment toward the “Mother Ocean” ensures a fundamental common ground. It is in the mutual pursuit of the “Oceanic Sublime” that this common ground is destined to foster deeper integration.

Keywords: Chinese and Western; Maritime Literature; Poetics

Author Biography: Ni Nongshui, professor at Zhejiang Ocean University, specializing in Chinese literature, maritime literature, and maritime humanities. E-mail: 719692945@qq.com.

  Received: 12 Mar 2026 / Revised: 5 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 12 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.