He played down the social background, wrote poems along the topic with linear structure, and emphasized the relevance of the content. When dealing with the basic elements of poetry, he makes the scenery subjective, and his personal feelings are hidden between images and interests, and he focuses on narration and interspersed with scenes.
He often creates landscapes and things in art by virtual means, expresses the poet's subtle and elegant feelings, yearns for the spiritual realm of freedom and leisure, inspires some values with new images, and realizes the pursuit of "the beauty of poetry". This is the artistic feature that distinguishes Huang from other poets.
Huang Tingjian regards "vulgarity" as the high standard of his poetry, and to reach this level, he emphasizes reading more. Only when you have thousands of books in your heart can you write without vulgarity.
Huang Tingjian emphasizes reading more books, not learning for the sake of learning. There are three main meanings: First, study hard, extensively absorb all the good things of predecessors, and create and develop them on the basis of mastery.
Second, as a kind of accumulation of knowledge, to increase the connotation and implication of poetry, and strive to be refined. The third lies in the cultivation of subjective accomplishment and temperament. Only by cultivating a refined and unique temperament based on the basic spirit of Confucianism, which is "good", can we write a "refined" poem.
One of Huang Tingjian's most famous poetic ideas, "turning a stone into gold", is actually related to his subjective cultivation. He said in Answer to the Father of Hong Ju: "Those who can write in ancient times can really cultivate everything. Although ancient characters enter calligraphy, they are like a panacea. " This passage is often considered to refer to plagiarism, so it advocates plagiarism.
In fact, Huang Tingjian borrowed Taoist terms, using iron as a metaphor for everything that has been cultivated, using gold as a metaphor for the finished product after enlightenment, and using magic as a metaphor for the poet's subjective thinking and spiritual accomplishment, so he meant that excellent poets are good at using foreign things for their own use.