Emperor Wen was talented and literary, wrote chapters and sentences, was knowledgeable and talented; if we are magnanimous, encourage fairness and sincerity, cherish our ambitions, and broaden our minds, then the ancient saints will still be How far!
The general idea of ??this passage is: Cao Pi was very talented in literature. He could write an article as soon as he picked up his pen. He has a wide range of knowledge and a strong memory, and has both talents. If we can have a grand and broad measure, fair and honest sincerity, diligent ambition, morality and justice, then we will not fall far behind the ancient sages.
The idiom I am going to talk about in this article is "extensive degree", which means the measure of grandeur and breadth. This is also one of the idioms originated by Chen Shou, the author of "Three Kingdoms".
Cao Pi was born in the fourth year of Zhongping, the second son of Cao Cao. Since childhood, he has been familiar with ancient and modern classics and works of a hundred schools of thought. He is very talented and has made great contributions. He was the first emperor in history to leave a large number of works. His two "Yan Ge Xing" are the earliest existing seven-character rhymed poems. and "Ling Shi" were rare six-character poems at that time. Cao Pi's "Miscellaneous Poems" Li Yang Zuo" is more than 360 words long and has a great influence on later long poems.
In addition to his high attainments in poetry, Cao Pi's prose achievements also had a great influence on the history of Chinese prose. His diction was elegant and his artistic conception was long. His "The Walking on the Wall" is also the first important literary theory criticism paper in the history of Chinese literature, and has a profound influence on later generations.
However, although Cao Pi's great achievements in literature were praised by future generations, his character flaws also made future generations feel contemptuous. The most criticized one was his narrow-mindedness. When he was young, Cao Pi held a grudge because his uncle Cao Hong was unwilling to lend him money. After he became emperor, he actually imprisoned his uncle, confiscated all his property, and even Luo Zhi wanted to execute him. If his mother and wife had not come forward to dissuade him, there is a question whether Uncle Cao Hong would have risked his life.
In addition to his retributive character, as an emperor, Cao Pi had a fatal flaw, which was his intolerance and inability to listen to other people's opinions. Cao Xin's son Bao Xun was killed by Cao Pi because of repeated attempts to dissuade him. In general, Cao Pi was an outstanding writer, but not a politician. Cao Cao chose him instead of Cao Zhi, and I don't know if it was right or not.