Wang Fu, a native of the Qing Dynasty, called Liu Yuxi "the sage of small poems".
Liu Yuxi’s title: Liu Yuxi was a great poet in the mid-Tang Dynasty. His status as a poet during this period and his experiences were very similar to that of Du Fu in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He was famous for his upright outspokenness and diction.
Like Du Fu and Du Mu, they both wanted to make a difference in politics and cared about the country and the people, but it was probably because they were already known as "Li Du" and "Little Li Du", and their diction was He specializes in the form of folk songs, rather than neatly formatted quatrains and rhymed poems, so he is called the "Sage of Little Poems."
Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan are both called "Liu Liu", and Bai Juyi is called "Liu Bai". Bai Juyi calls Liu Yuxi "Liu Twenty-eight" because Liu Yuxi is the oldest among his peers in the family. No. 28, so Bai Juyi called him "Liu Twenty-eight". In addition, Bai Juyi also called him "Poetry Hao".
Extended information
Philosophical achievements - materialist tendency
Liu Yuxi’s philosophical thoughts have a distinct materialist tendency. His main works are three chapters of "Treatise on Heaven". In terms of cosmology, his materialistic thoughts are more advanced than Liu Zongyuan's. Regarding the relationship between nature and human beings, Liu Yuxi put forward the view that heaven and human beings “compete with each other and use each other”, showing a positive and enterprising spirit.
He believes that the reason why people have idealistic thoughts is closely related to social reality. When "the law prevails", in society "what is right is for the public and what is wrong is what is public and wrong", people will not have the idea that misfortunes and blessings come from destiny; when "the law is relaxed", right and wrong are reversed in society, and people cannot win. God, the theory of destiny has been promoted in the human world.
When "the law is relaxed", right and wrong are not clear in society, and people will be doubtful about the destiny. Liu Yuxi used social practice to explain the origin of the theory of destiny, which was a major contribution in epistemology. This is also Liu Yuxi’s view on the social roots of theism.
He believes that in a society where the law prevails, what is right and what is not is what is right and wrong. Those who follow the law will be rewarded, and those who do good will be punished. People will say that misfortunes and blessings are determined by people's actions. , has nothing to do with heaven. In a society where the law is relaxed, right and wrong are reversed, rewards always lie in flattery, and punishment always lies in uprightness. People cannot find explanations for unreasonable phenomena, so they have to attribute everything to God.
He also believes that when "reason is clear", people will not talk about "the destiny of heaven"; when "reason is unclear", people will not talk about the destiny of destiny. Liu Yuxi explained the origin of theism from the perspective of Fa Chi and Li Mo, which was a unique insight. He pointed out that God was created by man under certain conditions and had positive significance.
In the three chapters of "On Heaven" he wrote, he tried to deepen the debate between Liu Zongyuan and Han Yu and further explore the relationship between heaven and man. He believes that "Everything that is a physical vessel has its capabilities and impotences. Heaven (nature) is the most tangible thing; humans are the most special among animals. What heaven can do, humans cannot do; what humans can do, heaven can do too. There is nothing you can do."
Heaven and man each have their own natural characteristics, and they “compete with each other” and “use each other”. Although humans cannot interfere with the functions and laws of nature, they can use and transform nature.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Liu Yuxi