Establishing a standardized and rigorous academic evaluation system is crucial for the development of a distinctive discipline, academic, and discourse system in philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. Within this system, professional academic work review reports play an indispensable role as a form of academic critique. This paper examines the intricate relationship between emotion and reason within the framework of modern Chinese academic criticism. Together, they constitute the fundamental content of Chinese academic criticism, shaping an evaluation system and standards unique to China, distinct from those of the West. However, in contemporary academic research, scholars tend to prioritize discussions on reason over emotion. Consequently, while reason receives ample attention, emotions are often addressed only briefly, with limited exploration of the relationship between the two. As elucidated in Chen Yinke’s review report for Feng Youlan’s A History of Chinese Philosophy (with two volumes). Chen Yinke’s critique unveils three pivotal pairs of emotion-reason dynamics: the emotion of academic communication juxtaposed with the reason of official review, the emotion of subjective imagination intertwined with the reason of objective reality, and the emotion of classical expression harmonizing with the reason of thought manifestation. These triads of emotion and reason exhibit a nuanced interdependence, coexisting within a complex fabric that manifests a discernible internal tension. This tension, on one hand, imparts a sense of unrestrained grace to Chen Yinke’s academic criticism, endowing it with an engaging allure that caters to diverse emotional elements while concurrently offering profound theoretical explanations to the scholarly community. This delicate balance contributes to the elevation of the academic criticism landscape. On the other hand, it also propels Chen Yinke into a nuanced traversal between emotion and reason, resulting in a writing style that is cyclically nuanced and elegantly instructive, akin to a sophisticated and detached language game. This intricate dynamic adds a layer of interpretive challenge, fostering a diverse range of opinions. Utilizing case studies to further elucidate the different levels of emotion and reason, as well as their interrelationship, is beneficial for deepening modern scholars’ understanding of Chen Yinke’s unique philosophical thoughts and sentiments. It also aids in expanding modern scholars’ appreciation for the traditional humanistic spirit and the nuances of academic criticism, thereby providing historical nourishment and theoretical sources for constructing a discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.