To explain this problem clearly, we must first look at what kind of article Wang Tengting Preface is. Academic circles like to divide ancient prose into? Essay? And then what? Prose? Parallel prose is an article that pays attention to melody antithesis, but prose is not. Obviously, Preface to Wang Tengting is a parallel prose.
Compared with prose, generally speaking, parallel prose is more beautiful in form, beautiful in words, gorgeous in rhetoric and sonorous in tone, but relatively speaking, in order to satisfy these formal beauty, it will lack some connotations. In addition to Preface to Wang Teng-ting, the representative works of parallel prose, such as Fu to Luoshen, Zhu Shu and Fu to Epang Palace, are all famous works through the ages.
Without these constraints, prose can express its feelings and wishes more freely, so it has more connotation beauty. There are many representatives of prose, besides the prose of pre-Qin philosophers, there are countless classic masterpieces of eight masters in Tang and Song Dynasties.
To discuss the level of Preface to Wang Tengting, we should first discuss its level in parallel prose. Since the preface to Wang Teng-ting came out, it has been praised as the first parallel prose by many people. It can be seen that although there is no first essay, it is no problem that Preface to Wang Tengting ranks first in parallel prose. I think the best parallel prose in ancient times is "Epang Palace Fu", followed by "Preface to Wang Tengting".
However, to ask another question later, the status of parallel prose in ancient Chinese is actually not as good as that of prose. Parallel prose is often regarded as a work with dazzling skills. What can prose do? Words with words? Something. Especially after the decline of Han Yuwen's eight generations, almost all scholars think that writing articles should have substance in words, preaching and teaching to solve doubts. Therefore, from this point of view, Preface to Wang Tengting is a very beautiful article, but its position in the whole ancient prose is not so high.
Among those classic essays, Zhuangzi's Happy Journey in the pre-Qin period, Zhuge Liang's Model, Shi Mi's Chen Qingbiao, Han Yu's Sacrifice to Twelve Lang, Su Xun's Theory of Six Kingdoms, and Su Shi's Red Cliff Fu (the early Fu was originally a parallel prose, but in the Song Dynasty, Fu could already be regarded as prose. ) and so on, or magnificent, or sincere, or incisive, or detached, can be regarded as the existence of the first file, not inferior to "Wang Teng Gexu".
Generally speaking, according to the author's personal point of view, the preface to Wang Teng-ting has beautiful words, neat antithesis and cadence. The most commendable thing is that, as a parallel prose, Preface to Wang Teng-ting, unlike ordinary parallel prose, only knows rhetoric and has no ideological connotation. Both? Sunset and lonely Qi Fei, autumn waters and sky are the same color? Is there such a beautiful sentence? If you are poor, you will think about change, and you will not lose your ambition; When you are old and strong, would you rather be moved? Such a deafening cry. Therefore, it can bear the title of eternal masterpiece, but it is not unique, it is in the top ten position in my heart.