The plot development of drama follows an order which corresponds, roughly, to the Aristotelian process of beginning, middle, and end. In classical critical discourse the formula originally used in lushi (lyric poetry with rhymed couplets), namely, qi (rise or expositio), cheng (succession or amplificatio), zhuan (turn or peripateia), and he (close or peroratio) was appropriated. As a plot component, qi refers to the beginning of drama, cheng its development, zhuan its pivot, and he its ending. Wang Deji labels this patterning zhangfa or geju. Since zaju (miscellaneous drama popularized in the Yuan Dynasty) and chuanqi (drama of the marvelous typical of the Ming Dynasty) each follows its own rules of organization, playwrights have to construct their plots according to the prescribed generic guidelines. Li Yu also terms these structural principles geju. As its title suggests, this essay serves to survey Wang's and Li's concepts of zhangfa and geju and other similar notions of plotting and stylistic conventions in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. There are four approaches to the theory and history of zhangfa and geju: (1) inquiry into the relationship between qinigjie (plot) and zhangfa or geju; this refers to the afore-mentioned sequence involving beginning, middle, and end or qi, cheng, zhuan, he; (2) inquiry into the relationship between conventions and geju, both on the local and global levels; (3) inquiry into the relationship between playwright's intention and zhangfa, with emphasis on his intended meaning; (4) inquiry into the structural relationship between zhangfa and pertinent components on other artistic levels. Among the four approaches, (1) and (2) constitute the ontology of zhangfa and geju, which has been much discussed; (3) and (4) are extended topics concerned with theory of structure.