Ge Hong's literary thought was deeply influenced by Wang Chong and Lu Ji and developed. He asked the article to play a social role, change customs and satirize mistakes. It is believed that "the speaker is more expensive than the teaching assistant, but not as good as the collection of occasional customs". He opposes valuing the ancient times over the present, and thinks that the present is not as good as the ancient times.
Ge Hong advocates that literary creation should be decorated with words, and that both morality and literature should be paid equal attention. He said: "The article is as good as virtue, as good as ten feet, as good as ten feet, which means I have never heard of it." He further put forward the argument that "you don't have to be expensive, but you don't have to be ignorant", thus breaking through the ultimate ideological barrier of Confucianism.
"Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter" mainly talks about immortal prescriptions, changes in ghosts, health preservation and longevity, and treatment of disasters and diseases, which belongs to Taoism (referring to immortals). Its contents can be summarized as follows: discussing the universe itself, demonstrating the existence of immortals, discussing the production methods and applications of Dan medicine and panacea, discussing the study and application of various formulas, discussing various bibliographies of Taoist scriptures, and explaining the universality of world practice.
The Biography of Bao Puzi mainly talks about various things in society, which belongs to the category of Confucianism, and also shows the development track of the author's immortal thought before Confucianism. Its content can be summarized as follows: on the gain and loss of the world, mocking the secular, and stressing the law of governing the people; Commenting on whether there are hidden things in the world, advocating that the hidden things should be treated with time, self-denial and thinking of the monarch; On remonstrating Ren Xian's ability, loving the people and abstinence, and monopolizing power; On being born free from vulgarity, writing books with cultivation and so on.
Brief introduction of Bao Puzi
Bao Puzi is divided into internal and external articles. Nowadays, there are 20 "internal articles" about immortals, alchemy and Zuo Fu, 50 "external articles" about the gains and losses of current politics and the concealment of personnel, and some articles about literary theory criticism, such as Shi Jun, Shang Bo, Cixi and satellites.
This book summarizes the immortal theory since Wei and Jin Dynasties, establishes the Taoist immortal theory system, and inherits Wei Boyang's alchemy theory, which is a great achievement of alchemy in Wei and Jin Dynasties. In Bao Puzi, it is emphasized that people can't just start from practicing martial arts, and their aspirations in life can't just be hidden in the mountains. If they really want to cultivate immortality, they must make contributions, cultivate their morality, and rule the country.