Tang poetry and Song ci are not only the general names of the two dynasties' poems, but also represent two poetic methods and poems in the history of China's poetry. Their differences are as follows: Tang poems are mainly lyrical, and even if they are reasonable, they are mostly expressed in lyrical ways; Song poetry likes reasoning and advocates discussion. Tang poetry is more implicit; Song poetry is more straightforward and poor in words. Tang poetry pays more attention to the direct description and expression of life feelings; The excellent works of Song poetry also come from life, but they are often grasped rationally before choosing the appropriate form. Therefore, even if the sentences in Song poetry are vivid and concrete, there is always some undercurrent of logical thinking running through them, unlike the artistic conception in Tang poetry, which is mostly expressed in an intuitive form. In short, Tang poetry always grasps reality with perceptual images, while Song poetry dissects reality with rational thinking. Shishi Tang is rich in flavor, while Song poetry is light in flavor, but it is compensated by meticulous and profound thoughts and refined technical language. Because of this, Song poetry is easier to learn than Tang poetry. Tang poetry relies on inspiration, while Song poetry relies on talent; Talent can be acquired through hard work, but inspiration cannot be forced. Tang poetry relies on sensibility, while Song poetry relies on rationality. Rationality can be obtained through careful consideration, but sensibility (thinking in images) is more difficult to capture. Moreover, people who study the Song Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty do not exclude Tang poetry, and often peep at the Tang Dynasty from the Song Dynasty, which makes it easier to exert their strength without causing the disadvantages of rough skin and flesh. Therefore, Zong Song's achievements are often greater than Tang Zong's.
In fact, since the mid-Tang Dynasty, Tang poetry has a tendency to evolve into later Song poetry. Many features of Song poetry can be found in Du Fu's and Han Yu's poems. Judging from the whole history of poetry, Song poetry is the inevitable result of the development of Tang poetry. Tang poetry and Song ci are in the same strain. For example, poetry tends to be popular in subject matter and language, describing ordinary and trivial daily life and using vulgar slang. This trend began with Du Fu, and further developed in Han Yu, Bai Juyi, Meng Jiao, Jia Dao, Pi Rixiu and Luo Yin in the middle Tang Dynasty, and poets in the Song Dynasty followed suit. Another example is the discussion in poetry, which began with Du Fu and Han Yu and is common in the poems of Du Mu and Li Shangyin in the late Tang Dynasty. After entering the Song Dynasty, it developed into a general atmosphere in the poetry circle. Poets in Song Dynasty created a poetic style by fully absorbing the nutrition of Tang poetry. Du Fu and Han Yu played a particularly important role in the enlightenment of Song poetry. Song people once said: "A poet must take Du Fu." (Huang Shang's Preface to Shang Chen's Poems) The Qing people thought: "Han Yu is one of the great changes in Tang poetry, with great strength and great thinking, and his rise is the originator. Song, Mayo, Su, Wang and Huang are all thriving. " (Ye Xie's "Original Poetry" Volume 1) These statements are all in line with reality. The value of Song people is that they have their own reasons instead of keeping pace with Tang poetry, so they can create Song poetry that keeps pace with Tang poetry.