“因文生事”是金圣叹小说创作论的重要命题之一，其意义在于明确了小说创作的虚构特征。在阐述这一命题时，金圣叹的哲学思辨力既使他的理论闪烁出智慧的光辉，又使他的理论受到明显的局限。他以佛家的“因缘生法”来解释现象世界，亦用它来解释“因文生事”过程中出现的多种艺术现象。与“因缘生法”相适应的还有“动心而为”———“设身处地”、“格物”———“忠恕”等一系列理论命题，分别从不同角度来说明小说中的艺术现象 “Incident” is one of the important propositions of Jin Shengtan’s novel creation theory. Its significance is that it defines the fictional features of the novel creation. In elaborating this proposition, Jin Shengtan’s philosophical speculative power not only shined his theory with brilliant wisdom, but also made his theory obviously restricted. He explained the phenomenal world with the Buddha’s “genesis method” and also used it to explain the various art phenomena that emerged during his “textual affairs.” There are a series of theoretical propositions such as “putting ourselves in the heart” and “gearing” - “loyalty and forgiveness” in accordance with the “genesis method” and explain the artistic phenomena in novels from different perspectives