The character differences in the aesthetics of Zen Buddhism between China and Japan can be seen in the concepts of "qu" and "ji"

The integrity of Chinese culture itself has led to Buddhism being predominantly associated with religion, while in terms of aesthetics, there were numerous theoretical works during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties in China, with highly active thoughts. Works such as Lu Ji's "Wen Fu," Zhong Rong's "Shi Pin," Liu Xie's "Wen Xin Diao Long," and Xie He's "Gu Hua Pin Lu" emerged as a large body of aesthetic and artistic works. Therefore, the influence of Buddhism on Chinese aesthetic consciousness is prominently represented by the Zen thought influenced by native Daoist philosophy, which also reflects a positive aspect in facing real life. It presents an aesthetic taste of "joy" and "carefree." The core of Chinese aesthetics is not limited to the ethical aspect of Confucian aesthetics, but rather stems from the Daoist concept of "harmony between heaven and man" and the perception of nature. Before the introduction of Buddhism, Japan did not form a complete and systematic aesthetic concept. Moreover, the natural environment of the disaster-prone Japanese archipelago was not superior. With the entry of Buddhism into Japan and its dominance in Japanese culture, a pessimistic attitude towards the world quickly permeated the aesthetic consciousness of Japan, which lacked a conscious ideological system. This difference in aesthetic expression is manifested in the characters of "qu" and "ji" .