Objective  “Jing” is an important meta-concept in the discipline of landscape architecture, which is related to the essence, naming and system construction of the aforesaid discipline. However, it seems that relevant researches mainly discuss “Jing” in the context of landscape gardening, limiting the discovery of the meaning of the word “Jing”. Yang Rui discusses the expansion of the meaning of the word “Jing” in the cultural and scientific fields through the two synthetic words “spiritual realm” and “artistic conception”, but fails to provide an in-depth explanation of the meaning of the word “Jing”.

Methods  Sibu Congkan (the Four Branches of Literature Collection) is a large series of ancient documents edited by the Commercial Press. By searching the compound words of “Jing” in the database of Sibu Congkan, this research selects 17 compound words commonly used in the current discipline or theory of landscape architecture, such as the “Jingjie”, “Shengjing”, “Jiajing”, “Lingjing”, “Huajing”, “Huanjing”, “Wujing”, “Dijing”, “Jingyu”, “Zaojing”, “Qingjing”, “Yijing”, “Shanjing”, “Shengjing”, “Yijing” and “Yuanjing”. This research integrates authoritative dictionaries such as the Grand Chinese Dictionary to examine the definitions and match items of the 17 compound words, and distinguishes between different semantic meanings and their respective match counts for horizontal analysis. The compound words are then sorted based on their earliest appearance in different semantic contexts, allowing for the categorization of cognitive stages and subsequent vertical analysis. Based on the results of the analysis, the research probes into the broader connotation of the word “Jing”, and combs the cognitive process of “Jing”.

Results  The first stage of cognition stays at the level of material substance, and “Jing” can be interpreted as “frontier, boundary”, indicating the geographical space; in the second stage, “Jing” becomes the objectification of human’s inner feelings and consciousness, expanding the connotation of the psychological level, and at the same time can refer to the natural scenery; the third stage mainly aims to generalize the landscape scenery, describe the situation and spatial relationship between various natural forms and scenery, and then express feelings. Based on the analysis of the match counts of the 17 compound words, it is found that the word “Jingjie” is the most commonly used compound word for “Jing” by the ancients, followed by “Shengjing” and “Jiajing”; “Shengjing”, “Yijing” and “Yuanjing” are rarely used, while “Yingjing”, “Jingxue” and “Jingjing” are not found in use; “a beautiful place” is the most frequently used semantic meaning of the word “Shengjing”. Among the three cognitive stages, the second cognitive stage has the largest number of compound words used to describe the physical space and indicate the natural scenery. Based on the analysis of the different semantic meanings of the 17 compound words, it is found that the ancients often use “Jingjie” to describe the environment and scenery, “Shengjing” and “Jiajing” to describe beautiful places, and “Lingjing” to refer to scenic spots in a general sense. Combined with the use of the compound words of “Jing” in the academic circle, the research finds that such words as “Huanjing” and “Shengjing” commonly used in the discipline of landscape architecture, “Yijing” commonly used in the literary and art circle, “Shengjing”, “Huajing” and “Yijing” inclided in Sun Xiaoxiang’s “‘Sanjing’ Theory”, “Jingyu” included in Wang Juyuan’s definition of “landscape architecture”, “Dijing” included in Yang Rui’s “Jingqidi” theory, “Yingjing” and “Shanjing” included in Wang Shaozeng’s “Jing-structure” theory, and “Yuanjing”, the Chinese translation of “Landscape Architecture” in Hong Kong, are all rarely used by the ancients.

Conclusion  It is found that some compound words of “Jing” commonly used in the current discipline or theory of landscape architecture are rarely seen or have different meanings in ancient books. Therefore, in the construction of the theoretical system of landscape architecture, it is necessary to find out how to inherit the widely-spread and rich-connotation Chinese words and develop new professional terms according to the needs of the landscape architecture discipline. This research suggests that when naming any discipline or constructing any disciplinary system, methodology or epistemology using the compound word(s) of “Jing”, we should try to extend the use of the words commonly used by the ancients that are of rich meanings, which can not only inherit traditional culture and ideas, but also be conducive to the public’s understanding of the discipline concerned and improve the dissemination and influence of the discipline. Meanwhile, it is also encouraged to explore new common words based on the review of the use and recognition of the compound words of “Jing” by the ancients and in combination with the development of the discipline concerned and the characteristics of the times, so as to bring new vitality into the discipline.