In China, the word "poet" came into being during the Warring States Period. How to prove it? "Nine Debates on Chu Ci" notes: "I long for the poet's legacy and would like to be vegetarian." It can be seen that early poets focused on expressing their feelings. "Zhengzitong" notes: "Qu Yuan is a poet because he is a dissolute and his writing is worrying." This is the earliest formulation of the word "poet"
Since then, "poet" has become a noun used by Han people. After the rise of Ci Fu, the word "Ci" came into being. Yang Xiong's "Fa Wu Yan Zi Pian" said: "The poet's ceremony is just, and his words are beautiful and obscene." Distinguishing poets by "Ze" and "Yin" shows that in the Han Dynasty, "Poet" was regarded as noble and "Poet" as lowly.
For modern poets, whether in the West or China, modern poetry generally adopts free genre, and the meter and form of poetry are no longer important. Modern poets can be further divided into modern poets and contemporary poets. The general division is to define the poets in the first half of the 20th century as modern poets. Poets in the second half of the 20th century and beyond are defined as contemporary poets. This classification has been generally accepted in China.