中国人对“意”非常重视。“意”是一种情意、一种意思、一种思想、一种想法。写“意”不仅是中国画的形式，更是中国画的精神内核，也是中国所有造型艺术的精神——包括工笔画、宫廷画、民间画工画和雕塑、装饰画，它们都是以表情达“意”为主旨的。在“形似”和“神似”之间，都是更强调“神似”。

Chinese people place great emphasis on the concept of "yi". "Yi" represents sentiment, meaning, thought, and idea. The expression of "yi" is not only a form in Chinese painting but also the spiritual core of Chinese painting and all forms of figurative art, including meticulous painting, court painting, folk art, sculpture, and decorative painting. The main focus of these art forms is to convey meaning through expression. They emphasize the similarity to the spirit rather than the physical form.

所谓“意在笔先”，作画之前，画家对世界的总体看法，也就是他的整体的美学观，早已凝聚胸中，是画家对世界的整体认知的积淀。

The so-called "intention comes first" suggests that, before starting a painting, the artist's overall view of the world, their aesthetic perspective formed over decades of understanding, is already condensed in their mind.

可以说，“写意”是中国艺术的传统，是中国艺术的精神、核心和灵魂。这是中国人的思维特征，艺术的核心是表情达意。核心还是“意”：从自己的经验中得出判断，并将自己的直觉外化、表达出来，即“写意”。写意无错对，写意无极限。

In essence, "xieyi" (the expression of "yi") is a tradition in Chinese art, representing the spirit, core, and soul of Chinese art. It is a characteristic of Chinese thinking that the core of art is expressing meaning through emotion. The essence is still "yi" – drawing conclusions from personal experiences, externalizing and expressing one's intuition, that is, "xieyi". There is no right or wrong in expressiveness, and there are no limits to it