Abstract: We propose that essence of citation is a way by which different CIFTEs (concepts, ideas, frameworks, or theoretical essentials) on the investigated phenomenon interact with each other in human intellectual space. CIFTE Different CIFTEs gradually diffuse themselves in human intellectual space under such interactions. This view of citations will bring a huge space for the development of scientometrics. We can now regard the process of understanding a phenomenon as a process of CIFTEs’ diffusion in human intellectual space via citations. Thus we can measure the interactive force among disciplines by the change of diffusion intensity in different disciplines. Then we can even identify different relationships among disciplines caused by different kinds of interactions among CIFTE .

Key words: essence of citation, the evolvement of disciplinaries, citation diffusion

摘要： 本文从理论上探讨了引文的本质是有关科学研究对象的科学论述在人类知识空间互相作用的一种方式。各种科学论述在这种相互作用下在人类知识空间扩展开来。引文的这一本质可以给科学计量学带来巨大的发展空间。引文分析可以通过描述科学论述在人类知识空间的扩散过程来描述我们对一个科学现象的认知过程，并通过引文在各个学科间扩散强度的变化来测度各个学科的相互作用力，发现因各种科学论述不同的相互作用所引起的不同的学科间的关系。

关键词: 引文本质, 学科发展, 引文扩散