Pre-Qin poetry includes The Book of Songs, Songs of Chu, some folk songs in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and some primitive social songs. The source of ancient poems contains folk songs and ancient ballads. Pre-Qin poetry is the source of China's poetry, among which The Book of Songs is the source of China's realistic poetry, and Chu Ci is the source of China's romantic poetry. Pre-Qin poetry, with its rich content, complete rhythm and exquisite conception, set a high precedent for China's poetry. Most pre-Qin poems are short and pithy, concise and poetic. This is quite different from the long epics of the west and ethnic minorities, and has distinct characteristics. Because of this, China's poems are exquisite and meaningful, and the connotation of poems can only be fully displayed in China's formal poems.
The 400-year-old literature of Han Dynasty has various forms and rich contents, and has made brilliant achievements. Undoubtedly, the popular Han Fu, timely and practical political essays, and a thousand-year-old historical prose have made the highest achievements in Han literature. The Yuefu folk songs and the five-seven-character poems of the literati, which are the link between the past and the future, are another wonderful work in the literary world at this time. Folk songs in the Western Han Dynasty, in addition to Han Yuefu, also include acts songs and ballads that are not collected or composed. The literati in the Eastern Han Dynasty directly simulated and studied folk songs, which made the literati's five-character poems develop rapidly. Ban Gu's Ode to History is regarded as the earliest five-character poem. Nineteen Ancient Poems, which was anonymous at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, marked the maturity of literati's five-character poems and a new milestone in the development of China's lyric poems.
The changes in society, academic thoughts and literary concepts in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, as well as the aesthetic pursuit of literature, brought about changes in poetry. From the subject matter, there are homesick poems, epic poems, fairy poems, metaphysical poems and palace poems, as well as pastoral poems created by Tao Yuanming and landscape poems created by Xie Lingyun. In terms of poetic style, the five ancient poems are more colorful, and the seven ancient poems have also made significant progress. As the beginning of formal poetry, "Yongming Style" appeared. Several basic forms of China's ancient poetry, such as five laws, five unique poems, seven laws and seven unique poems, were all formed during this period. In rhetoric, the pursuit of beauty is becoming more and more popular. Algae decoration, parallel couples, melodies and allusions have become common means.