Cao Cao has profound cultivation in literature, calligraphy and music. His literary achievements are mainly manifested in poetry and prose.
There are less than 20 poems by Cao Cao, all of which are Yuefu poems. The content can be roughly divided into three categories. One is related to current affairs, the other is mainly to express ideals, and the other is poetry about immortals. For more than 30 years, Mao Yujun never gave up his books. The book talks about the art of war and thinks about classics at night. Climbing to the top must be given, and the strings of new poems make a movement. (Shu Wei) Although Shang Yahao was in the army, he couldn't put it down. Every time I decide to save, I calmly say: people who are less eager to learn will think professionally, and after a long time, they will forget; When I grow up, I can be a diligent scholar, just me and Yuan Boye. ("Canon on self-narration", Yuan Boye left his name and Yuan Shao was his brother. ) Cao Gong's old road is straight, and there is a sad saying. (Zhong Rong's Poems)
His works related to current affairs include Lu Luxing, Good Li Xing, Bitter Cold Travel, Walking Out of Xiamen, etc. Two songs, Autumn Journey and Good, were written in the early years of Jian 'an. The foregoing reflects that He Jinmou murdered eunuchs, and Dong Zhuo went to Luoyang for insurrection. The second article is about the states and counties in Kanto, each with its own ambitions, fighting with each other, and keeping pace with each other in content. Poetry describes this historical process in concise language, so it is known as "a true record of the late Han Dynasty, an authentic work of poetry history" (Zhong Xing's Return of Ancient Poems). What is particularly commendable is that in the poem "A Journey to Luxury", he wrote the profound sufferings of the broad masses of the people in the war in a sympathetic tone: "When lice are born, everyone dies, bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no crows in a thousand miles. There are hundreds of people left behind, which makes people feel sad. " A Journey to Bitter Cold was written in the 11th year of Jian 'an. The poem describes the coldness, desolation and precipitousness of Taihang Mountain in winter, with vivid images, and also writes the poet's inner complex feelings. "Out of Xiamen" was written in the twelfth year of Jian 'an, and the five rings levied three counties. This poem includes "Yan" (prelude) and four explanations. Yan concentrated on the poet's complex mood when he went to war. Explain "Watching the Sea" and write about the impressions when marching through Jieshi; Second, explain "October in Winter" and third "Cold in the River", and write about what you saw on your way home; Fourth, explain "although the tortoise lives long" and write about the ideological activities after winning this important battle. Among them, "Looking at the Sea" describes the seascape, "The autumn wind is bleak, the waves are rough, and the trip between the sun and the moon is unexpected; The stars are brilliant, magnificent and magnificent, which embodies the poet's broad mind of embracing the universe and devouring the sun and the moon. Guibishou expresses the poet's views on life and career with a series of vivid metaphors: "An old man rode on a horse, aiming for a thousand miles, and a martyr died with great courage". This is the true confession of the poet's active and enterprising spirit all his life.
The poems that mainly express ideals are Du Guan Shan, Duijiu, and Short Song. The political ideals of the first two poets. His vision of peace and prosperity is the politics of virtuous monarch and good minister, which combines Confucianism and law with kindness and prestige. This is undoubtedly of progressive significance under the realistic background of social destruction in the late Han Dynasty. The theme of "A Short Song" is to be thirsty for talents. With the poem "The mountain is not too high, the water is not too deep, the Duke of Zhou vomits and feeds, and the world turns to the heart", it expresses the mood of seeking talents and recruiting talents to achieve its great cause.
You Xian's poems include Exhale and Autumn Hu Xing. Cao Cao didn't believe in the alchemist's theory of immortality, so he wrote these poems as something else, so he can't be equated with Qin Huang and Wu Han's quest for immortality.
In artistic style, Cao Cao's poems are unpretentious and unpretentious. They won with deep affection and charm. Poetically, it is characterized by generosity and sadness. Generosity and sadness, originally the keynote of Jian 'an literature, are the most typical and prominent in Cao Cao's poems. In terms of poetic genre, Cao Cao's Yuefu poems did not copy the rules of Han Yuefu, but developed. For example, Lu Luxing and Good Li Xing are both elegies in the Han Yuefu, but he used old topics to express brand-new contents. Cao Cao initiated the tradition of writing current affairs with Yuefu, which had far-reaching influence. A large number of Yuefu poems created by Jian 'an writers and many poets from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty can be said to be the inheritance and development of this tradition.
Cao Cao's prose is mostly applied words, which can be roughly divided into three categories: table, preface and book. Representative works include Please Add Guo Jia Feudal List, Make the County Self-evident, Letters with Wang, Old Monument of Taiweiqiao, etc. These characters are characterized by simplicity, simplicity, frankness and fluency, and write the unique voice of Cao Cao. For example, "Let the princess know her will" describes her struggle experience for most of her life, analyzes the situation at that time, and dissects her own mind. His words of "seeking defeat alone, I don't know how many people are emperors and how many people are kings" are extremely frank and courageous. From the Eastern Han Dynasty, prose appeared the trend of parallel prose, and gradually appeared at the end of Han Dynasty. Ordinary prose writers began to emphasize duality and use allusions. But Cao Cao was unique at that time with his simple, practical and practical style. Lu Xun once praised Cao Cao as "the founder of reforming articles" (Wei and Jin demeanor and the relationship between articles and medicine and wine).
Cao Cao's achievements in literature are also reflected in his constructive role in Jian 'an literature (see Seven Children of Jian 'an). Jian 'an literature can flourish under the background of long-term war and social fragmentation, which is inseparable from his attention and promotion. When discussing the reasons for the prosperity of Jian 'an literature, Liu Xie once pointed out that "respecting the monarch and loving poetry and elegance" (the literary mind carves dragons). In fact, the main writers in Jian 'an period were closely related to him. Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are his sons, and the "seven sons" and Cai Yan are also sheltered by him. It can be said that "Ye Group" was formed on the basis of the material conditions he provided; And their creation is also under the influence of his advocacy.
According to the textual research of Yao Zhenzong's Records of the Three Kingdoms of Qing Dynasty, Cao Cao's works include 30 volumes of Wei Wudi Collection, Sun Tzu's Art of War 1 Volume, 13 Volume and so on. There are more than ten kinds of works, but most of them have been lost, and the only one that exists is Sun Tzu's Note. 145 poems collected by Zhang Yan in Ming Dynasty were included in Wei Wudi Collection and 103 in Records of Han, Wei and Six Dynasties. Ding's Collection of Celebrities in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties also includes Wei Wudi's Collection, which has slightly more works than Zhang Pu's Collection. 1959, according to Ding Ben, Zhonghua Book Company added the Note of Sun Tzu, attached; Emperor Wu Ji, Chronology of Cao Cao, etc. , reprinted as Cao Caoji.