Abstract: The theory of intertextuality has changed the long-standing view of texts as self-sufficient entities and created a new paradigm for textual analysis ever since it was proposed. Meanwhile， memetics puts much emphasis on the elaboration of similar phenomena in the process of replication， transmission and evolution of languages and cultures， which would widen the horizon for research on the inheritance and evolution of languages and cultures. Although similarities could be found between intertextuality and memetics， there exist quintessential differences between these two theories. From the aspect of theoretical origin and connotation， intertextuality originated from post-structuralism whereas memetics originated from the theory of biological evolution; from the aspect of major analyzing units， intertextuality focuses on texts whereas memetics emphasizes languages; from the aspect of directionality， intertextuality directs at the future whereas memetics directs at the past; and from the aspect of theoretical system， intertextuality is a developed theory whereas memetics is still a developing one.

Key words: intertextuality, memetics, post-structuralism, directionality