An outstanding litterateur, he is the author of military works such as "Sun Tzu's Brief Interpretation" and "The Art of War", as well as "Hao Li Xing", "Guan Cang Hai", "Xie Lu", "Dan Ge Xing", " "Bitter Cold Journey", "Jieshi Pian", "Turtle Though Longevity" and other immortal poems. Later generations also compiled the Collection of Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's handwriting Cao Cao's poetry was greatly influenced by Yuefu. All the existing poems are Yuefu lyrics. Although these poems use old Yuefu titles, they do not follow the poetic style of the ancients. They are new and unfettered. However, they inherit the spirit of "feeling sorrow and joy, and writing out of events". For example, "Xing Dew Xing" and "Hao Li Xing" were originally elegy, but Cao Cao used them to commemorate the time and mourn the rebellion. "Stepping out of the East Gate" was originally a melody lamenting the impermanence of life and the need to enjoy life in time. However, Cao Cao used it to express his ambition to dominate the world and the magnificent scenery he saw after returning from the Northern Expedition. It can be seen that Cao Cao's innovative folk songs opened up a new trend of Jian'an literature and also influenced later Du Fu, Bai Juyi and others.
The contents of Cao Cao's poems generally fall into three categories: reflecting the reality of the turmoil in the late Han Dynasty, the ideal of unifying the world and his tenacious enterprising spirit, and expressing unforgettable negative emotions.
There was great chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, and Cao Cao went south and north to conquer. He came into contact with a wide range of society, so many people have personal experience and understanding. For example, "Hao Li Xing" describes the tragedy of the war at the end of the Han Dynasty, and saw the misery of the people. Also see the poet's mixed emotions when he is hurt. Therefore, later generations call Cao Cao's Yuefu "a true record of the late Han Dynasty and a true history of poetry."
A generation of heroes may be glorious for a lifetime, but sometimes their stars will fall and perish. Cao Cao also felt helpless about this and could only write poems and lament, but he had no choice but to do so. For example, the sentimentality of "Like the morning dew, the passing days will be more bitter" in "Dan Ge Xing", the low mood in "Autumn Hu Xing", and his negative mood can be seen in Youxian's works such as "Mo Shang Mulang".
Cao Cao’s poetry form is very innovative. He is especially good at writing five-character and four-character styles. "Hao Li Xing" was originally composed of miscellaneous words, but Cao Cao rewrote it in five words, which was very successful. In terms of four-character poetry, it has declined since the "Book of Songs" and there are few excellent works. However, Cao Cao inherited the traditions of "Guofeng" and "Xiaoya" to reflect reality and express emotions. For example, "Dan Ge Xing" and "Stepping out of Xiamen Xing" are all excellent works of four-character poetry, which make four-character poetry reborn and shine again. Cao Cao's poems are simple in diction, expressing his feelings directly, generous and sad, yet melancholy and vigorous. Gorgeous words are not common, but the images are vivid. For example, in the poem "Viewing the Sea": "The autumn wind is bleak, the waves are rising, and the journey of the sun and the moon, if you get out of it, The stars are brilliant, if they come out of it. "With just a few strokes, the poet's mind can be expressed with a vast sea scene without any embellishment.