「引西潤中」是廿世紀中國畫革新的主流思潮之一，徐悲鴻不但是此思潮的主要領導人之一，也是對廿世紀中國繪畫發展最具有影響力的人之一。早在他尙未出國學習西畫前，便已提出他著名的《中國畫改良論》，標舉西方繪畫的借鑑，是改革中國畫的一個重要契機。此時他才二十三歲。究竟是什麼人，有如此大的力量，得以觸動徐悲鴻興起改革的理念與決心？這個人正是二十世紀中國現代繪畫發展最重要、也是最具關鍵的推手之一。
本文從各個不同角度，舉証說明徐悲鴻的繪畫深受晚清通俗畫家吳友如的影響，其改革理念亦源自於吳友如。從而使近代中國繪畫發展的主軸之一－中西合璧及寫實畫風的形成得以向前推展數十年。是中國近代畫史研究的一個新觀點的提出。
"To guote from the west, to profit Chinese painting" is one of the main stream concepts of Chinese painting reform in the 20th century. Xu Beihong not only was one of the main leaders of this reform concept, but also the most effective person to the development of Chinese painting in the 20th century. Long before he went abroad to learn painting, he had presented his famous thought "The reform of Chinese Painting" in which he thought that the quotation of western painting style to Chinese painting was a very important approach to reform Chinese painting, being just 23 years old then. Who was the one to trigger Xu's determination and concept to reform? How could he had such magic power to affect Xu? It is the key person that influnces the development of modem Chinese painting greatest in the 20th century.
This article illustrates form several dimensions the Xu's painting was affected by a late Ching Dynasty popular painter, Wu Yo-ru and Xu's reform concept also came from Wu. Therefore, the main developmant of modern Chinese painting, the style of the west-Chinese combination and realism, could form early for tens of years. This article presented a new point of view to the research of modem Chinese painting history.
