<p>Positive and negative awe share similarities but exhibit distinct characteristics. This study differentiates them through two perspectives: appraisal intensity and appraisal networks (i.e., vastness, NFA, connectedness, self-diminishment, physical sensations, and slow time perception). 956 Chinese participants were randomly assigned to watch one of three videos inducing positive awe, negative awe, or neutral emotion (about 320 per condition) and then reported their awe-specific appraisals. We first compared the appraisal levels between positive and negative awe. Then, we modeled the six-appraisal correlation networks for both variants to estimate edge weights, determine the role of each appraisal, and investigate differences between the networks. Results first indicated that positive awe was appraised as higher in vastness, connectedness, and slow time perception, and lower in physical sensations than negative awe. In both awe networks, all appraisals were interconnected through positive edges, with vastness being the central appraisal. Notably, compared to the negative network, several connections—between vastness and self-diminishment, vastness and physical sensations, connectedness and physical sensations, and physical sensations and slow time perception—were significantly stronger in the positive awe network. Additionally, vastness, self-diminishment, and physical sensations showed higher EI centrality, indicating their more important roles for negative awe experiences. Our findings suggest that positive and negative awe may stem from distinct patterns of interaction among appraisals. This study is the first to differentiate positive and negative awe in Chinese contexts, deepening our understanding of awe and offering novel insights for shaping distinct awe experiences in the future.</p>