About Cao Cao's handwritten newspaper pictures
Cao Cao's introduction: Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei, whose real name was Ji Li, also named Mengde, and nicknamed Ah Mao. An outstanding statesman, militarist, writer, calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the founder of the Cao Wei regime. Cao Cao liked to use poetry and prose to express his political ambitions and reflect the sufferings of the people. He was a representative figure of Wei and Jin literature. Lu Xun praised him as "the founder of reformed articles." At the same time, Cao Cao was good at calligraphy. Zhang Huaiguan's "Book Break" of the Tang Dynasty rated Cao Cao's calligraphy as "wonderful".
Cao Cao's literary achievements are mainly reflected in his poetry, and his prose is also very distinctive. There are more than 20 of Cao Cao's poems in existence today, all of which are in Yuefu style. Content can generally be divided into three categories. One type is related to current affairs, the other type is mainly about expressing ideals, and the other type is poems about immortals.
Works that are somewhat related to current affairs include "A Walk with the Dew", "A Walk in the Artemisia", "A Walk in the Bitter Cold", "A Walk out of Xiamen", etc. They express one's political ambitions and reflect the suffering life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. , majestic, generous and sad. The two poems "Xing Dew Xing" and "Artemisia Xing Li Xing" were written in the early years of Jian'an. The former article reflects that He Jin's plan to kill the eunuchs failed, and Dong Zhuo went to Luoyang to cause rebellion; the latter article describes the states and counties in Guandong that raised troops to fight against Zhuo, and each had their own ambitions and killed each other. The contents are closely connected. The poem uses concise language to describe this historical process in a highly summary manner, so it is known as "a true record of the late Han Dynasty and a true history of poetry." "Bitter Cold Journey" was written in the eleventh year of Jian'an. The poem describes the severe cold, desolation, and precipitousness of the Taihang Mountains in winter. It is vivid and vivid, and it also expresses the poet's complex inner feelings. "Stepping out of Xiamen" was written in the twelfth year of Jian'an when he was conquering Wuhuan in three counties. The poem includes "Yan" (prelude) and four interpretations. "Yan" focuses on the poet's complicated mood when he went to war. The first interpretation is "Guan Cang Hai", which describes the impressions when the army passed through Jieshi; the second interpretation is "Winter October", the third interpretation is "Different Soils", which is about what happened on the way back; the fourth interpretation is "The turtle is long-lived", which is about winning this important battle. Thoughts after victory. Poems that mainly express ideals include "Duguan Mountain", "During Wine", "Dan Ge Xing", etc. The first two articles deal with political ideals. The peaceful and prosperous age he envisioned was a politics of virtuous kings and good ministers that combined Confucianism and Legalism and used both grace and authority. This is undoubtedly of progressive significance in the context of the great social destruction in the late Han Dynasty. The theme of "Dan Ge Xing" is seeking talents. It uses poems such as "The mountains never get too high, the sea never gets too deep, the Duke of Zhou spits out food, and the world returns to its heart." It expresses the desire for talents and the desire to recruit talents in order to achieve great achievements.
In terms of artistic style, Cao Cao's poems are simple and unadorned, without any decoration. They win with deep emotions and majestic charm. The mood of the poem is characterized by generosity and sadness. Generous and sad, this is originally the common theme of Jian'an literature, but in Cao Cao's poems, it is the most typical and prominent. In terms of poetry genre, Cao Cao's Yuefu poems did not copy the conventions of Han Yuefu, but developed somewhat. For example, "Xing Dew Xing" and "Hao Li Xing" are both elegy in Han Yuefu, but he used old titles to express brand-new content. Cao Cao initiated the tradition of using Yuefu to write about current affairs, which had a profound influence. The large number of Yuefu poems written by Jian'an writers and many poets from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty can be said to be the inheritance and development of this tradition.
Cao Cao's literary achievements are also reflected in his constructive role in Jian'an literature (see the Seven Sons of Jian'an). Jian'an literature was able to flourish in the context of long-term war and social ruin, and at the same time His attention and promotion are inseparable. When Liu Jian discussed the reasons for the prosperity of Jian'an literature, he once pointed out that "Wei Wu regarded the prime minister as the king and loved poems elegantly." In fact, all the major writers of the Jian'an period were closely related to him. Cao Pi and Cao Zhi were his sons, and the "Seventh Son" and Cai Yan also relied on his protection. It can be said that the "Ye literati group" was formed on the basis of the material conditions he provided; and their creations were also carried out under the influence of his advocacy.