Gao Qi is a detached Geng Jie, whose thoughts are based on Confucianism and influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. He hates state affairs and does not envy fame and fortune. So in the autumn of the third year of Hongwu (1370), Zhu Yuanzhang proposed to appoint him as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance, but he refused to accept his resignation and was given a gold release; But Zhu Yuanzhang suspected that his poems satirized himself and made him jealous. Gao Qi returned to Qingqiu and became self-sufficient by teaching. Wei Guan, the magistrate of Suzhou, restored the old foundation of government governance, for which Gao Qi wrote On Liang Wen. Because the old government base was originally the site of Zhang Shicheng Palace, someone falsely accused Wei Guan of disloyalty and Wei was punished. Gao Qi also suffered collective punishment.
When Gao Qi was young, he was famous for his poems, and he was also known as the Four Masters of Wuzhong with Yang Ji, Zhang Yu and Xu Ben. His literary thought advocates learning from Han, Wei, Jin and Tang Dynasties, and getting married after learning from ancient times. He believes that it is necessary to be a model, to simulate the current situation, to keep pace with the times, and to form a family, so as to be generous and avoid the disadvantages of her husband's paranoia (Preface to Duan Ji). But he died young and never achieved his goal of becoming a family. His poetry system is different and his styles are diverse, and there are traces of imitation in learning the styles of Han, Wei, Jin and Tang Dynasties. But he is brilliant, gentle and has many excellent poems. He is one of the best poets in the Ming Dynasty. Nine times out of ten, Gao Qi's poems are written by individuals to express their feelings, travel around and reward their friends. This kind of poetry is sometimes slightly ironic to the ruling class. For example, the seven clouds in the five ancient "feelings": the road is straight, the end of the road is dangerous □, a glass of wine goes out of the lungs and liver, and it is doubtful for a while. Tian Pai Dou Ying and Zhao Gao falsely accused Reese. Dumping a lot of fakes is a waste of the real disaster base. Exposed the internal contradictions of the ruling class. Another example is the third chapter of "Three Chapters of Taibai" after he became an official: Xinfengzhu is in no hurry, and slaves also have bones to seal Hou. In fact, it is a mockery of the nouveau riche in the Ming Dynasty. However, Gao Qi's thought is more complicated, and he also wrote many poems that thanked the emperor and lived in seclusion, which failed to get rid of his own class limitations.
Gao Qi's poems have certain artistic features. First of all, some of his poems advocate realism and describe the scenery in detail. Such as Jiang Huanglian Zhu fog, wild white full of Tian Bing; Birds pecked Yang Shulin to death, and insects hung leaves lightly; Dogs follow spring □ women, chickens call Xiao Geng and other sentences, all of which are novel and realistic. Secondly, pay attention to implication and have a long lasting appeal. For example, "The Ballad of Digging a Canal": Digging a canal is deep, with ten plans; This ditch is very wide, 80 feet. It's not hard to dig canals, and the Yellow River has opened more than 1000 feet. Have you noticed, Jia Shangshu? In just a few words, it came to an abrupt end, giving people a profound aftertaste. Thirdly, there are not many allusions, trying to be fluent, and some small poems with only a few sentences are more folk songs. For example, the song at four o'clock in the middle of the night (below): Red makeup is unintentional, leaving Nanhu Road in the evening. I can't bear to go back to the boat, and Furong is like A Lang. Comprehended as words, it is kind and touching. The creation of these poems is related to being close to the lower class when living in other places. Gao Qi's poems have a wide influence on the poems of the Ming Dynasty, so that some people regard him as the crown of poets in the Ming Dynasty.
Gao Qi also wrote lyrics, mostly dull and gloomy, not as good as his poems. His prose is not original, but the article Shubo Chicken Story is very glorious. With concise language, touching plot and legendary style in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, it created the image of a brave young man who dared to fight against the gentry. Later, because the article violated Zhu Yuanzhang, he was beheaded with Nanjing! According to legend, Gao Qi did not die after being beheaded, but Zhu Yuanzhang personally supervised the beheading. After being stopped, Gao Qi touched his own blood with his hand and wrote three miserable words. From then on, Zhu Yuanzhang had nightmares every night and died soon!