Guo Moruo, a master of modern literature in China, said: "Seriously speaking, more than half of Cao Zijian's position in the history of literature is made up of feudal consciousness. People want to be loyal to the monarch, so they hate Cao Cao and Cao Pi, so they sympathize with Cao Zhi who has fallen out of favor. " I think this theory of "feudal consciousness comes together" is a bit overdone. Yes, in history, Wang Tong and others sang praises to Cao Zhida, such as "loyalty to the monarch and patriotism" and "letting the world go", which is undoubtedly feudal consciousness; However, Cao Zhi's position in the history of literature was not established by the boasting of Wang Tong and others. His literary talent was recognized in the Wei and Jin Dynasties hundreds of years before Wang Tong. Chen Lin, a contemporary of Cao Zhi, said that Cao Zhi's works are "far-reaching in sound and meaning, clear in words, witty in every sentence and beautiful in shape, like flying rabbits and meteors, flying over mountains and seas, which Longji dare not pursue.". What is the situation? " Yang Jiang also said that reading Cao Zhi's article "satirizes the elegance and elegance, but it will never happen again", saying that he is "the sun and moon of Zhong Ni, and can't get more than Yan" (Answer to Hou Jian). These comments are already very high, which has already opened the prelude to Zhong Rong's poems. Some people may say that Chen and Yang are friends of Cao Zhi's teacher (Letter to Dong Wang Jia), and Wu is a follower of Cao Pi, so he will never "edit" Cao Zhi!
Not far from the Three Kingdoms period, a mermaid in the Jin Dynasty said, "I look at flowers and plants and think like a god" (Wei Lue), Chen Shou said, "His literary talent is rich and colorful enough to enlighten future generations" (Biography of Wei Zhi), and Zuo Si said, "(Cao Zhi) praised Korea and then China was warm in spring and bloom" (Wei Du Fu). As for the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zhong Rong and others pushed Cao Zhi to the position of a sage in the article. Of course, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there did exist the old saying that Liu Xie pointed out that "the emperor of literature respected talents by position, and the son built a position to benefit the price", but it was also difficult to directly link this old saying with feudal consciousness. The so-called "respecting position and reducing talents" and "potential embarrassment is profitable" means that some people belittle Cao Pi who became the emperor and praise Cao Zhi who was suppressed. If there is any "consciousness" here, it is only that some people are disgusted with Cao Pi's behavior and feel sympathy for Cao Zhi's situation. Moreover, this "old saying" only remains in Liu Xie's indirect introduction. In the historical documents before Liu Xie, there is no information that directly holds this "old saying" view. On the contrary, we can see that many influential critics are fair when commenting on Pi Hezhi's literary achievements. For example, on the one hand, Chen Shou spoke highly of Cao Zhi, on the other hand, he said, "Wendy Wenzao is talented and writes a chapter; Knowledgeable, talented and talented; If you add magnanimity, encourage fairness and sincerity, be ambitious, be broad-minded and have high moral character, then you are the wise king of ancient times, how far is that! " (Collection of Emperor Wen of Wei Zhi) Here, we are critical of Cao Pi's narrow politics, but we fully affirm his literary talent, and we have no intention of "respecting position and reducing talents". It can be seen that although the "old theory" exists, it is not very common and has little influence.
Another reason why Guo Moruo belittled Cao Zhi's literary achievements is that he is good at imitation. He said: "Zijian's poems and essays have a strong sense of freshness and beauty, which is undeniable, but they always show an unfinished appearance." Most of his works are imitations, and the traces are unusually exposed ... This is a masterpiece of imitation. Although imitations are sometimes more gorgeous than the original, they are often exaggerated and do not seek unity. "I think it is also biased to think that Cao Zhi's creation was erased by imitation.
Some of Cao Zhi's works depend on others. For example, The Ode to the Goddess of Luo is "Song Yu told the King of Chu about the goddess, so he wrote a poem" (Preface to the Ode to the Goddess of Luo), and Qi Qi is "Seven hairs are from Mei Cheng, and seven hairs are from Fu Yi, ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The creative inspiration of Jiu Fu comes from Xiong's Jiu Fu and so on. However, it is inappropriate to say that they are purely imitations and have no new ideas. That is to say, as far as Luo Shenfu and Shen Shenfu are concerned, although they are similar in describing the beautiful appearance of the goddess, Shen Shenfu is basically the nature of entertaining kings without much irony or sustenance, while Luo Shenfu is full of sadness, which is the same as Beauty of the Goddess. The meanings of these two fu are different. As for the seven revelations, although they are not successful, they cannot be considered as the result of imitation. Among them, the theory of "Wang Dao Yuan Jun" advocated by "Mirror Machine" is very different from the "magic formula" in "Seven Hairs". Therefore, these works accused of "imitation" are actually not pure copying, but basically refer to or imitate the creations of predecessors, and should not be harsh. To take a step back, even though the above articles, Wade's theory and the skull theory quoted by Guo Wen are imitations, they account for a small proportion in all Cao Zhi's poems, so we can't draw the conclusion that "there is no imitation, no sentence is not imitated".
Another reason why Guo Moruo belittles Cao Zhi's literary achievements is that he only pays attention to rhetoric and form. "On the one hand, he tried to imitate the ancients, and on the other hand, he loved to talk." "Because of its good imitation, it opened a precedent for the Six Dynasties. This is not so much his job as his fault. " Zhang Wen also supports Guo's theory that Zhong Rong's praise of Cao Zhi is based on "Hua Mao Ci" and "the rhyme of ancient and modern times" and "entirely based on the aesthetic appearance of the article".
It is a fact that Cao Zhi's works, whether poetry or prose, are full of gorgeous rhetoric. However, how to evaluate the fact that there are many seaweed ornaments cannot be done in isolation. As long as the content of the work is substantial, it is not necessarily a bad thing to leave it unadorned, but it should be affirmed. Throughout Cao Zhi's life, except for some vague works in the early stage, such as his poems about feasting and entertainment, such as The Public Banquet and Cockfighting, and some small poems about objects, most of them are more substantial. Most of his poems and essays are strongly lyrical, or express the yearning for fame and fortune, or describe the repressed pain and resentment, or describe the pursuit of freedom, and most of them are enthusiastic, persistent and passionate. Some of his works reflect the social reality at that time. In this case, he emphasized algae decoration, not just form.
As for Zhong Rong, he belittled Cao Cao and Cao Pi. Of course, it is not appropriate to classify it as inferior and inferior. But on the whole, he didn't make a big mistake in pushing Cao Zhi. The basic evaluation of Cao Zhi in Shi Pin is: "His character is extremely high, his words are adopted by Hua Mao, his feelings are elegant and resentful, his body is literary, and he stands out from the crowd." Zhang Wen only chose two sentences of "adopting Hua Mao's ci" and "the ci overflows from ancient times to modern times", and came to the conclusion that it is entirely based on the aesthetic appearance of the article, which is somewhat unfair to Zhong Rong. How can you turn a blind eye to these three words: "the spine is extremely high" and "the emotions are elegant and resentful, and everything is literary and artistic"? These three sentences are not "complete" and "the shape of the article", but focus on the content. The so-called "extraordinary strength of character" is similar to the meaning of "strong and furious strength of character" emphasized in Wen Xin Diao Long Feng Gu. The so-called "emotion and elegant resentment" refers to the lyrical characteristics of Cao Zhi's works, and the so-called "style and form" affirms his creation from the perspective of combining content and form. These meanings are not unfathomable, but also quite in line with the reality of Cao Zhi's works. They should not cause misunderstanding, and there is nothing to blame.
Guo Moruo linked Cao Zhi's creation with the writing of the Six Dynasties couples, thinking that this was his first creation, but there were also some shortcomings. Parallel prose and couplets originated very early. It should be said that they were revealed from Liu Xiang and Liu Xin at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. After Zhang Heng and Cui Ao, they developed greatly in Cai Yong. Some of his essays, especially inscriptions, contain many parallel sentences. Compared with Cai Yong, Cao Zhi's parallelism is not more serious. Cao Zhi's colorful parallel prose is also an article, but it is much better than Cai Yong's "Guotai Monument". In fact, compared with Cao Pi, Cao Zhi's parallelism tendency is not outstanding. We can see that the two of them have the same degree of parallelism, such as Quality Book with Wu and Zhou Chenglun, but they are not as neat as Cai Yong and Cai Yong. Even some of the seven sons of Jian 'an, such as Kong Rong, Chen Lin and RoyceWong, are not much worse than Cao Zhi. Therefore, it is far-fetched to say that the development of parallel prose in the Six Dynasties is also a "passing by" by Cao Zhi.
To be fair, Cao Zhi can't say that there is anything "excessive" in literary form. He is also a hero, especially in the development of five-character poems. In this regard, Liao Wen said: "It is no problem to say that he has made greater efforts than Cao Cao and Cao Pi in five-character poems and made great contributions to the creation of five-character poems." Indeed, before him, although there were already five-character poems and some excellent works, it was unprecedented for him to write in such a large number and in such a "style". Five-character poems are fully mature in his hands. To say "maturity", the richness of words and the diversity of expression techniques make poetry look colorful and magnificent, which is only one aspect; More importantly, the success of using five-character poems to reflect real life and express feelings. Give full play to the potential artistic expression ability of five-character poems and make them show greater superiority than four-character poems. Cao Zhi's contribution is indispensable.
The most weighty argument to belittle Cao Zhi's literary achievements is, in my opinion, the practical significance of opposing Cao Zhi's poems. First of all, from the chaotic era of singing harmony, Cao Zhi has contributed some excellent poems, such as "Song Ying Shi" and "Fu Liangxing on Mount Tai", which left some images of the disaster of the times for future generations, but mainly these two poems were repeatedly mentioned. ..... As far as these two excellent poems recognized by most comrades are concerned, their feelings are more touching than Cao Cao's "Journey to the Great Wall", RoyceWong's "Seven Wounded Poems" and Chen Lin's "Journey to the Great Wall".
It is pointed out here that Cao Zhi's Poems to Send Ying and Fu Liangxing Mount Tai are slightly inferior to those of Cao Cao, RoyceWong and Chen Lin. But I think this situation can be reasonably explained from the writer's experience. It should be noted that Cao Cao, Chen Lin and RoyceWong are much older than Cao Zhi. They were witnesses to the war at the end of the Han Dynasty. Hao's profound writing and the painful writing of Seven Wounded Poems are based on his own experience. Cao Zhi was born in Chuping for three years, and it happened that RoyceWong wrote Seven Wounded Poems (Part I). Although he was "born in troubled times and grew up in the army", by the age of 12, Cao Cao had conquered Yecheng, and the north was choppy. His "Seeing Ying and Walking Mount Tai" was written several years after the Northern War subsided. He only writes post-disaster scenes, of course, not as real and touching as the poems from the great disaster. But on the other hand, it is commendable that Cao Zhi wrote such poems criticizing the war and sympathizing with the sufferings of the lower class after the chaos, and it should not be completely blamed. Moreover, if compared with Cao Pi, although Cao Zhi is five years older, his memory and feelings about the war should be clearer and more specific than Cao Zhi's, but he has not written a poem with practical significance comparable to A Trip to Mount Tai and A Poem to Ying. Doesn't this also show that Cao Zhi's poems are rare, but they are quite precious? When it comes to quantity, in fact, the works of Cao Cao, RoyceWong and Chen Lin, which reflect the war at the end of the Han Dynasty, are basically those articles, not more than Cao Zhi, and they have never heard of them, which constitutes the reason for criticizing them.
Secondly, some scholars believe that some of Cao Zhi's ambitious works, "his intention is only to be reused so that individuals can seize power." Liao Wen does not agree to use the framework of "humanitarianism" and "patriotism" to cover Cao Zhi's creation, which is correct. But if Cao Zhi just wants to "seize power" himself, I'm afraid there is no basis. In my opinion, Cao Zhi's "ambition" is mainly manifested in his personal pursuit of fame. For example, he has repeatedly stated that he wants to "make contributions, be famous for bamboo silk", "be famous for historical writing, and do glorious things" ("Seek the self-examination form"), and "show diligence and lose strength to the wise" ("A trip to the autumn building"), but this is not enough. To make a further evaluation, it depends on what his view of fame and fortune contains. We can see that Cao Zhi's fame and fortune are often associated with "country" and "people". For example, he said in "Reading with Yang" that "we should serve the country faithfully, benefit the people, make contributions and do our best". The so-called "defected to the country" of course refers to the Cao Wei regime. He also said that "the matter of the monarch is more important than rejuvenating the country" and that it is necessary to revitalize Cao Wei. He wrote many times that "Western Shu is against my will, while Soochow is against my will", saying that "seclusion is not my ambition, but I would like to worry about my country" (Miscellaneous Poems), and "I sincerely want to mix with space and make me fit" (seeking a self-test table). This idea of striving for the reunification of Cao Wei's regime is not the same as "patriotism" today. Unifying the world is never a bad thing. Regarding "people", Cao Zhi often mentioned "helping the world and the people" and "assisting the Lord and benefiting the people" in his poems. It is also said that "the benevolent monarch of the ancient times will abandon the country and think of the people" ("Xie Fengdong Wang"). This view that the monarch and the people are connected and people-oriented is a reflection of the traditional people-oriented thought. Although it is not as clear-cut as "the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light", it generally reflects Cao Zhi's tendency to attach importance to the people. Based on this people-oriented theory, Cao Zhi expressed sympathy for the sufferings of the people he learned. Everyone knows it except "Poem of Seeing Ying" and "Xing on Mount Tai". For example, he once reported to Ming Chengzu that "for several years, the people were poor and hungry, and they became apprentices." ("Chen Shenju Watch") "Soldiers can't be solved, people are trapped inside, and they can't solve their hunger. Although these opinions have not been translated into any specific political measures (there are objective conditions here), they are still of progressive significance in themselves. Since Cao Zhi's pursuit of fame includes such factors as "country" and "people", we can't say that his "will" is entirely personal. In a word, Cao Zhi's achievements in creation, both in ideological content and artistic form, cannot be underestimated. It is no accident that he was famous before his death and respected for a long time after his death. This is neither "feudal consciousness" nor the result of people's pure "beautiful appearance", but the objective law of literary history-giving an excellent writer the due status-is at work. When talking about the admiration for Cao Zhi, Zhang Wen once said that this was only a phenomenon during the period when formalism was prevalent in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. " We might as well see if the poets in the prosperous Tang Dynasty especially praised Cao Zhi. I can't find it in the general literature I have contacted. "However, what Mr Zhang said is not true. Let me take Du Fu, a famous poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, as an example. He once wrote: "Give material to defeat the enemy, and build a family by looking at the son through poetry" (Twenty-two Rhymes of Wei Zuocheng), "Cao Zhi has a wide range of articles, and Liu Yezun" (Appreciating the people through high books), and "Zi Jian has a strong article, but the classics in Hejian are preserved.