Yuefu poems consist of two parts: one is written by feudal aristocratic literati praising merits for emperors and praying for longevity. The content is empty and rigid, and has no value. The other is the songs collected from the folks, which are mostly “sentimental to sorrow and happiness, and sent out by events”. They widely reflect the social reality of the time, express the thoughts and feelings of the working people, and have free form, vivid language, simple and refined, and adopt With a variety of expression methods, combining narrative and lyricism, artistic achievement is very high! This is the essence of Yuefu poetry.

The folk songs of Yuefu poetry inherited the realism of the Book of Songs and had a profound influence on the literature of later generations. For example, during the Jian’an period, literati inscribed current affairs with the old Yuefu, and gradually developed Jian’an style. In particular, the New Yuefu Movement initiated by Bai Juyi and others are directly related to the influence of Yuefu folk songs. The following editor will summarize and introduce the influence of Yuefu poetry on the poetry genre of later generations!

1. The development of realism

Following the “Book of Songs”, Han Yuefu folk songs carried forward the spirit of realism. For example, poems such as Cao Cao and his sons, Wang Can, and Chen Lin during the Jian’an period, which described the social disorder and suffering as the content, have inherited the spirit of Han Yuefu folk songs of “sentiment to sorrow and happiness, and to the cause”. They mostly use the old titles of Yuefu, use narrative methods and popular language, and also see the influence of Han Yuefu folk songs in form.

Although Du Fu did not use the old Yuefu title in the Tang Dynasty to “set up the title based on the facts”, the spirit and system of the poems are in the same line as the Han Yuefu folk songs, and are directly influenced by the Yuefu folk songs. Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen followed the example of Du Fu as social poems that “set topics based on events”, and put forward the slogan “Poems are made in accordance with the times”. This is also the tradition of Han Yuefu’s “delivered by events”.

2. The language is popular and simple, and the style is fresh

The styles of Han Yuefu poems are diverse, ranging from fresh and clear, affectionate and tactful, to generosity and tragic, but they are all based on a simple and natural style. The so-called simplicity and nature are expressed in the language of poetry, with no literary decorations, so it is simple and sincere, and excels at the past and the present. Later generations of poets were mostly influenced by Han Yuefu.

3. lay the foundation for the five-character poem

Han Yuefu is mainly composed of five characters and miscellaneous poems. Miscellaneous poems flourished after Jian’an. Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Li Bai and other miscellaneous poems all originated from Yuefu folk songs. Yuefu had a greater influence on five-character poems. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were many imitators. As of Jian’an, there had been a situation of “five-character enthusiasm”, which replaced the four-character poetry in the Book of Songs and the “sao style” of the Songs of Chu. The main form of poetry.

Le impact on future government genre of poetry Chanting body

The genre of Yuefu poetry also has an impact on the formation of Gexing style in later generations. The poetry of the Six Dynasties Bao Zhao’s Wuyan and Zayan Yuefu are outstanding, and Li Bai’s Yuefu Songs in the Tang Dynasty are unprecedented. Their artistic form is also significantly influenced by Han Yuefu folk songs. Narrate in the form of dialogue and monologue.

The Han Yuefu poems skillfully cast dialogues and depict characters, and their voices are full of emotions, making people feel like hearing their voices and seeing them. For example, “Going Up the Mountain to Caixin Wu” is almost entirely composed of questions and answers between the abandoned wife and the old husband, showing the wife’s kind character. There are also monologues that use monologues throughout the story. For example, in “Orphans’ Walk,” they use monologues to describe the suffering of orphans. These techniques have also inspired the rhetorical techniques of later generations of poetry.