Modern scholars have discussed Fang Tung-shih's theory of poetry, which is characterized by his conviction that “poetry should be analyzed on the basis of the text,” since Kuo Shao-yu brought up the opinion. Most of these scholars, however, limit themselves to analysis of phenomena, and fail to connect with the content of Fang's theory and deeply probe the characteristic meaning of his ideas. This paper seeks to trace the fundamental ideals behind Fang's theory of art, and, by looking from multiple angles such as the book's critical style, discourse, forms, and the author's scholarly personality, etc., and incorporating social factors such as the examination system and critical literary commentary, attempts to re-examine the special phenomenon of “using grammar to analyze poetry” in the “Shao Mei Chan Yen,” and discuss this phenomenon's significance. It can be seen that the artistic meaning of “abandon the narrow path, maintain an original opinion” is not only is what modern scholars have generally put forth as the core of Song Dynasty poetic theory, but also what inspired the creative self-awareness of Fang Tung-shih and other Qing Dynasty poets. This is expanded into a discussion of creative principles and poetic characteristics in the theory of poetry. The novel aspect of Fang Tung-shih and other later poetry critics was their attention to teaching practice, their understanding of grammar and poetic terminology, and their expertise at analyzing phrasing and structure; this can also be seen as the innovative interpretation of Song Dynasty poetry. These two things are significant aspects of the development of poetry criticism that can be gleaned from an exploration of the way grammar is used to analyze poetry in the “Shao Mei Chan Yen.”