自《後山詩話》載「以文為詩」一詞以來，後世詮釋不絕於書。直至現代，論者的視點仍主要集中在以散體文為詩的價值認同上，而體認以散文為詩的方式是歷來研究的重心。本文提出的研究進路，是必須將以文為詩的文體觀念與詩學觀念結合，在詩學的發展過程中考察文體的起源與變異的內涵，才能具顯它的意義。意義的構建又關係於唐、宋詩歌風格類型的劃分及中國詩歌本質範間的肯定。本文以為宋代以後對以文為詩的接受過程，標誌著中國詩歌傳統生命的完成，故相關觀念的嬗變實有論述之價值。

Ever since the phrase “prose as poetry” appeared in the Hou-shan shih-hua, many interpretations of it have been offered in various critical studies. Critics have attended mainly to the value of using prose as poetry, and the emphasis of academic research has been on recognizing the ways of using prose as poetry. This paper tries to offer a different perspective on this issue, proposing that the concept of genre in “prose as poetry” must be considered together with the concept of poetics. The meaning of genre can be foregrounded only when the significance of its origin and transformation is investigated in light of the development of poetics. The construction of this meaning is related to the differentiation of styles and forms of T'ang and Sung poetry, and the definition of Chinese poetry also counts in that construction. This paper holds that the reception of “prose as poetry” after the Sung Dynasty marks the perfection of traditional Chinese poetry, and thus the development of related concepts is of paramount importance.