The life problems that Jian 'an literati generally think about are concentrated in Cao Cao's poems as the contradiction between eternal life and bravery. "Out of Xiamen", "Short Song" and "Autumn Lake" eulogize the eternity of the universe from different angles, explore the meaning of life, and write the idea of making contributions in time and making positive progress; Cold asceticism and A Journey to the East and West Doors are companion pieces that tell the sufferings of war from different angles.
People used to call Cao Cao's poems "like Yan Youyou's veteran, full of vigor and charm" (Taosun Ao Poetry Review). This sentence aptly sums up the relationship between Cao Cao's personality and poetic style. Almost all his poems follow the traditional form of China's poems, from theme to style. But he tells the truth with natural language and heroic spirit, reveals the soul, studies and transforms Yuefu folk songs, and at the same time makes the rigid four-character font develop into a new form suitable for new content on the basis of restoring its original appearance.
Although scholars in past dynasties have different opinions on Cao Cao because of the orthodox influence, Cao Cao used Yuefu ancient poems to reflect real life, explore the meaning of life, and used Bixing to write the ideal of making contributions and saving the world and the people, which created a fine tradition for later scholars. Poets in the Southern Jin Dynasty, such as Ruan Ji, Zuo Si, Tao Qian and Bao Zhao, inherited the spirit of Jian 'an and made great achievements. The prosperity of poetry in the prosperous Tang Dynasty is directly related to the efforts of Chen Ziang, Li Bai and others to reform poetry. Therefore, as the pioneer of Jian 'an style, Cao Cao's contribution in the history of poetry is even more indelible.
What is produced on the bones and ruins is not morbid mourning, but generous singing. Cao Cao's Jian 'an poems, with an open mind and a positive attitude of loving the times and pursuing ideals, have become the Hong Zhong murmur in the aria of life for thousands of years.