There has yet to be a comprehensive study of the relationship between “literature＂ (wen) and “the Way＂ (dao), which forms a core theme in Wang Wan's (1624-90) theory on classical prose. In his discussion of the debate between Wang and Chen Xi (early Qing), Aoki Masaru holds that Wang's theory mainly concerns ＂method＂ (fa). Making no objective conclusion, Guo Yuheng discusses Wang's sporadic views in his writing and observes that Wang advocates “the Way＂ in his theory. Some scholars, such as Guo Shaoyu, Wang Yunxi, and Gu Yisheng, assume that Wang's advocacy is on both “the Way＂ and “method＂ but his theory is self-contradictory. This paper argues that Wang's combination of “literature＂ and “the Way＂ is not contradictory, rather, it makes a prominent feature in his theory on classical prose. This study begins with a reconstruction of the details of the debate between Wang and Chen Xi. Based on a survey-analysis of Wang's other writings, I propose that one should observe Wang's theory by considering three levels of his thinking about the classics (jing), the Way, and literature. There are two tasks in this paper. First, I argue that the Way remains central in Wang's theory, that literature is a means by which he investigates the characteristics of classical prose, and that literature is subordinated to the Way, therefore the alleged contradiction is resolved. Second, by tracing the intellectual trends of the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties, I show that Wang's literary thought was formed in a time when literature was mainly under the influence of “writing one's inner nature and soul＂. This exerted significant influence on early Qing prose, which made a return to classical prose tradition especially hankering after the Tang-Song legacy.