Cao Cao is good at describing new content with old topics. Most of the Yuefu poems in Han Dynasty are mainly about shaping objective characters, but Cao Cao's Yuefu poems have broken through the poet's self-image. The Yuefu poems in Han Dynasty are mainly narrative, while Cao Cao's Yuefu poems are mainly lyrical. He did not imitate Yuefu in form, but studied the creative spirit of folk songs reflecting reality, and used old songs as lyrics, which not only had the characteristics of folk songs, but also had his own creativity.
Cao Cao is good at expressing political ideals and ambitions in his poems, and his poems are full of enterprising spirit. Some poems are mixed with unforgettable thoughts, negative emotions of life, fatalism and some poems about immortals.
There are three contents in Cao Cao's poems: reflecting the reality of unrest in the late Han Dynasty, unifying the ideal of the world and the indomitable spirit, and expressing unforgettable negative emotions.