First of all, from the perspective of poetry theme, although the number of folk songs in the Southern Dynasties is large, the theme is relatively narrow; Although the number of folk songs in the Northern Dynasties is small, their themes are quite extensive. There are about 400 Nanqu, which are mainly divided into "Five Tones" and "Xiqu". It is almost the same love song in content. And most articles are written in the first person of women. Among them, the ambiguous relationship between men and women is often an "indecent" relationship, or an affair, or an encounter, full of passion and persistent pursuit of feelings. These phenomena should have their social roots.
Since the "Yongjia Rebellion" in the south of the Yangtze River, a large number of people in the Central Plains have moved southward, and agriculture, handicrafts and commerce have developed greatly, especially many cities along the Yangtze River, such as Jiankang, Jiangling and Xiangyang, have enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. There are a large number of small and medium-sized businessmen, craftsmen and unemployed people in these cities. Because of their living environment and social status, the women in their family are relatively weak in ethics, and they are more enthusiastic and wanton on the issue of love between men and women. This expression in folk songs catered to the appetite of the corrupt upper class at that time, so it was widely circulated and preserved in large quantities.
There are only more than 60 folk songs in the Northern Dynasties, but the contents are quite extensive, including frequent wars, hard life, folk customs, northern scenery and so on. For example, the famous "Chile Song": "The Chile River, under the shady mountain, has a sky like a dome and a cage covering four fields. The sky is wild, and the wind and grass are moving to see cattle and sheep. " A few strokes outline the magnificent scene of the northern grassland, which is not available in southern songs. Of course, the most prominent thing is that Mulan Poetry, an excellent narrative poem comparable to Peacock Flying Southeast in Han Yuefu, appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Secondly, from the sound point of view, southern songs are euphemistic and pleasant, while northern songs are simple and lively. In particular, puns and argots are widely used in southern songs, which makes poetry more touching and implicit. Pun argot is mainly composed of homophonic words and polysemous words, so there are two situations. The first situation is homophonic, homophonic: "If there is no coptis, why bother?" "Three" is not only the name of medicine, but also the "three" of gathering and dispersing; Coptis chinensis tastes bitter, which means the pain of acacia. The second situation is homophonic: for example, the word "lotus" puns on "pity" and the word "silk" puns on "thinking". For example, the extensive use of these techniques not only permeates southern folk customs in poetry, but also adds a little liveliness to poetry. The beige language is simple, lively, vigorous and powerful. There is no exquisite articulation of Nan Ge, and there is no pun skill.
Thirdly, from the formal system, the folk songs in the Northern and Southern Dynasties are mostly composed of five words and four sentences, which has a great influence on the formation of five-character quatrains, but there are five words, three sentences, five sentences and six sentences in the Southern Song Dynasty, but not in the Northern Song Dynasty; There are seven words, two sentences and four sentences in the northern song, but not in the southern song.
Finally, the overall style characteristics of folk songs in the Southern and Northern Dynasties are also related to language characteristics and emotional characteristics reflected. Southern songs are euphemistic and delicate, while northern songs are bold and straightforward, which is also related to the differences in geographical environment. The southern climate is warm and humid, with dense river networks and rich products, which is easy to cultivate artistic interest characterized by bright and beautiful charm; The north is Ma Pingchuan, where the landscape lacks detailed changes and life is relatively simple and severe, but nature is as broad, lofty and vigorous as the south. Such an environment is easy to cast the broad mind and heroic and simple aesthetic characteristics of the northern people. Therefore, it is also a love song. The Southern Song Dynasty is sincere and lingering, while the Northern Song Dynasty is bold and straightforward.
Of course, Mulan's poems have a great influence on later generations and can represent the highest achievement of folk songs in the Northern Dynasties. In the history of the development of China's classical poetry, Mulan's poetry created a heroic female image with typical heroic character for the first time. Coupled with the majestic natural scenery in the north, the picture is magnificent and exciting to read. "Mulan Poetry" uses miscellaneous words in style, which is light and flexible, close to spoken language, and pays attention to both rhyme and the constant change of rhyme. The structure and layout of the poem are also very distinctive: it is dripping when it is laid out, and it is precious when it is concise. For example, Mulan 10 years of military career, only 20 words passed. In addition, the story is particularly strong, the metaphor is novel and humorous, and the narrative and lyricism are also the characteristics of this poem.