A Stylometric Analysis of Chinese Literary Inheritance and Divergence: Evidence from Shen Congwen and Wang Zengqi

Abstract Shen Congwen (SCW) and Wang Zengqi (WZQ), as prominent figures in modern Chinese literature, are widely known for their well-established master-disciple relationship. Although this literary connection implies a transmission of aesthetic and linguistic values, their works exhibit marked stylistic differences. This study examines the stylometric inheritance and divergence of SCW and WZQ. We constructed a dedicated corpus of their writings, with a total size of several million words, and analyzed 18 linguistic features, including lexical richness, descriptivity, activity, nominality, keyword extraction, word length distribution, and part-of-speech distribution. In addition, the study employed principal component analysis to uncover potential clustering and distinguishing patterns among different stylistic features. The findings show that both authors inherited the thematic orientation of the Beijing School and shared a preference for defamiliarized expression. SCW demonstrates a stylistic tendency toward dynamic narration, lyrical tone, and lexical density, whereas WZQ exhibits a more hybrid style that integrates vernacular elements with classical allusions. By integrating quantitative stylometry with close reading, this study provides empirical evidence that literary inheritance is not a static process of imitation but a dynamic interplay between inheritance and innovation.