作為中國現代思想文化乃至現代文學的起點，「五四」的重要性和複雜性一再地被描述與闡釋。其眾聲喧嘩的盛況不亞於五四時代的先驅者。五四新文化運動者及其對立者在當時的社會變革語境中是極其複雜的存在，而「五四」的生命力正是透過這些不同學派的對話，彼此間多聲部合唱生發出來的。在學衡派與新文化運動者的對抗中，殘存的話語與主導的、新興的話語同時共存，彼此間相互參差對話，呈現出多層次、多向度的局面，五四的精神正是由於這種文化、教育、心理的多方需求，在不同趨向的各派共同作用，相互影響而締造完成的。

As a starting point of modern Chinese literature, culture and thoughts, the importance and complexity of the May Fourth Movement have been emphasized and interpreted again and again. However, the scene of heterglossia as we see it today is no less exciting than our precursors of the May Fourth Generation saw it. The May Fourth New Cultural proponents and their opponents coexist in an environment of complicated discursive practice; and the vitality of May Fourth Movement in fact stems from this multilayered chorus. In the rivalry between The Critical Review (Xueneng School) and the New Cultural Movement proponents, the remnants of traditional discourses coexisted with the emerging, dominant discourses, engaging each other in heterogenous dialogues, creating a multi-layered, multi-dimensional sphere. The spirit of May Fourth Movement, in the final analysis, was formed by the various cultural, educational, and psychological needs from different perspectives, and also by the interaction of different schools.