As the ruler of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Pi was also one of the representatives of Jian 'an School. He has made many outstanding contributions to literature. For example, the earliest existing seven-character poem is Ge Yanxing by Cao Pi, which has made outstanding contributions to literary theory in addition to specific literary creation. Cao Pi wrote an academic book Dian Lun when he was the King of Wei. Originally, there were 22 articles, but most of them were lost, leaving only three articles: self-report, thesis and discussion of prescription. Among them, Thesis is the first literary monograph in the history of China's literary criticism. Before that, there was no literary criticism monograph in China. Japanese scholar Suzuki Torao spoke highly of Cao Pi's "paper". He even thought that this piece of "paper" in Cao Wei era was an important symbol of China literature from spontaneity to consciousness. Therefore, I chose Cao Pi's Dian Lun Paper to discuss its literary criticism and theoretical value.
? "The husband's prose is different at the end, and the cover is appropriate and elegant, the book theory is reasonable, the inscription is realistic, and the poetry is beautiful. These four subjects are different, so what you can do is partial subjects; Only communication can prepare the body. " Gavin, national cause, immortal event. The years of life sometimes come to an end, and glory stops there. Both will reach a normal period, not endless articles. Classical treatise
? Cao Pi's Dian Lun Wen is of epoch-making significance in the history of China's literary criticism. Cao Pi endowed "Poetry" and "Fu" with independent literary significance and lyrical style. In art, Cao Pi put forward the literary standard of "beauty" in poetry and fu, which to a great extent reflected the aesthetic pursuit of pure literature in Cao Pi's literary criticism and raised the evaluation and regulation of style to the aesthetic level.
? In Dian Lun Wen, Cao Pi first criticized the mistake of "belittling scholars" since ancient times and put forward the correct criticism proposition of "judging oneself and judging others". This point is undoubtedly recognized by everyone. The view that "scholars despise each other" has evolved into a proverb, which has been in use ever since. In addition, Cao Pi further analyzed the causes of the bad habit of "belittling scholars", which is the cognitive deviation of writers and critics. "Each has its own strengths and weaknesses", and only "know each other" but not "bosom friends". On the one hand, it shows that it is "good at seeing itself clearly" and turns a blind eye to the strengths of others; On the other hand, we turn a blind eye to our own shortcomings and turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of others. "Literature is not one, and it is rarely good." A writer can't be good at writing skills in various styles, and each has his own strengths, which often makes him look inferior to others. In addition to raising questions, Cao Pi also gave a solution to this phenomenon. The solution is to "judge yourself and others", that is, start from yourself, judge yourself and measure others, and have a correct critical attitude. He also criticized intellectuals for being "lofty and disloyal to their voices", which is also the key to the shortcomings of literati. What he criticized above is a common phenomenon in reality: each has its own strengths and weaknesses; Loving the past and cherishing the present, advocating false reputation and ignoring reality all come from "self-knowledge", that is, "suffering from self-knowledge, thinking oneself wise" (making the mistake of not seeing one's own shortcomings clearly and thinking oneself wise). The shortcomings of these literati, even if criticized today, still have their practical significance. It is worth our in-depth thinking and exploration.
? In terms of style, Cao Pi discusses the characteristics of various styles and the different requirements for writing these styles. The "Paper" said: "Fu Wen is the same but different at the end", and the so-called "Ben" refers to the essential feature of the article, that is, expressing some thoughts and feelings with words; The so-called "end" refers to the specific form of expression of the article, that is, the stylistic characteristics of the article or the characteristics of the content and form of the article. In other words, Cao Pi thinks that the most fundamental thing of the article is not the content itself, but the thoughts and feelings that the author wants to express through the article. Therefore, no matter which genre is used to express thoughts and feelings, its origin is the same, but different styles are different in terms of expression, language form and body style.
? In addition, Cao Pi also put forward the proposition that "the style of writing is based on qi", arguing that "the turbidity of qi has a body, which cannot be forced" (there are two kinds of qi, which cannot be vented) and "although it is in the father and brother, it cannot be passed on to the son and brother" (although it is a father and brother, it cannot be passed on to the son and brother). There are usually two views on "Qi" proposed here. One is to borrow the concept of ancient naive materialism's philosophy, which still retains the basic meaning of the philosophical concept "Qi", that is, it refers to various material elements that people inherit from nature. The concept of "Qi" was also mentioned in many articles in the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties. For example, in the early days of Mencius, there was a saying that "I am good at cultivating noble spirit". Another view is that "Qi" here actually refers to the temperament and personality of a writer. In Dian Lun Wen, the article "Qi" is discussed in this way: "The article focuses on Qi, and the turbidity of Qi has a body, which cannot be caused by force. For example, all kinds of music, although uniform in curvature, have the same rhythm. As for uneven bleeding, it is skillful and well known. Although you are at the father's place, you can't rotor. " It is pointed out in this passage that "Qi" originates from "Qi of heaven and earth", which is innate and cannot be changed by manpower. "Qi is turbid with you", in which "Qing" is essence and "turbidity" is shape, which shows that "Qi" is spiritual. And "for example, although the curvature of all kinds of music is even, the rhythm is the same." As for uneven deflation, it is skillful and well known. Although it is in the father and brother, it cannot be passed on to the child. " Based on this, we can understand Cao Pi's viewpoint that "literature is based on qi": the creation of articles should pay attention to expressing the author's thoughts and feelings with personality and reflect the author's subjectivity. The so-called "clear and turbid" refers to people's character on the one hand and the style of literary works on the other. "Qing" is handsome and heroic masculinity; Turbidity is a dignified and gloomy feminine qi. Cao Pi's On Wen Qi officially acknowledged the writer's subjectivity and its role in literary and artistic creation for the first time, truly combined literary research with human studies, and created an atmosphere of comprehensive comments on the writer's works. Cao Pijun's "Wen Qi Theory" is the core point of this paper. Its appearance marks that literary creation has been conscious since then. Only by creating Cao Pi's "A Blue Road Shining on a Mountain Forest" will there be a more comprehensive and scientific stylistic theory of Liu Xie and others.
? As a result, China's ancient literary criticism entered a new era, which played a positive role in improving the social status of literature, prompting the author to attach importance to creative individuality and improving the quality of creation, and had a great impact on the development trend of literature in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The so-called "qi" cannot be forced, emphasizing that writers should have different styles and creative characteristics and strive for consistency. This writing actually put an end to the "literary inquisition" in theory and paved the way for the charcoal tail of various schools in literary creation. As a later generation of Wei Wendi, Cao Pi's vision or understanding is of epoch-making significance.
? Cao Pi also emphasized the social function and value of literature. He put forward a brand-new view on the function and value of literature. He said: "Building articles is a great cause of governing the country and an immortal event." Articles (mainly poetry, prose and other literary works. ) is a great undertaking related to governing the country, and it can be passed down to future generations and be immortal. Cao Pi summed up the political role of the article as "the great cause of governing the country", and mentioned its position side by side with things, with an unprecedented high evaluation. In fact, the theory of unfortunate articles also has its theoretical origin. "Zuo Zhuan" mentioned: "Taide, then make meritorious deeds, and then make a statement." Visible "paper" is also in line with the Confucian point of view. Cao Pi was the first literary theorist who endowed literature with lofty status and had a far-reaching influence on later generations. "Dian Lun Paper" says: "The great event of the world is the great cause of the world. The years of life sometimes end, and so does the glory. Both will reach a constant period, not as endless as the article. Based on ancient authors, I am attached to calligraphy, and my opinions are based on articles. He didn't fake the words of history, nor did he rely on the trend of flying, but his fame was later autobiographical. Therefore, Xibo lived in seclusion and made it easy, being Li Mingxian, not doing anything ambiguous and not thinking about recreation. However, the ancients are heavy and heavy, and I am afraid that time will not wait for me. " This is the first time in China's literary history that literary works such as poetry and fu have been included in "essays" and regarded as "immortal things". It breaks through the traditional concept that articles do not include literature. Therefore, Mr. Lu Xun also commented: "Cao Pi's era is an era of literary consciousness." Indeed, from Cao Bu, the concept of attaching importance to literature can be said to have reached a conscious level, which obviously promoted the development of literature. Since Jian 'an, the society has been in turmoil, the status of Confucianism is no longer supreme, the literati's thoughts have been liberated, and Fu Xiao's creation, which emphasizes individuality and lyricism, has become a common practice at that time. People with lofty ideals have lofty ideals of making contributions and making a name for themselves, but they suffer from insufficient opportunities to realize their ambitions. The "article theory of value" was put on the table at that time, which undoubtedly played an inspiring role and broadened another shortcut for literati to pursue the highest ideal of "eternal fame".
? Cao Pi advocated that literati could achieve the goal of immortality by "writing books and telling stories", which greatly improved their enthusiasm for literary creation. After all, it is well known to exert his fist and fist in politics, even though he has established a career that can turn Gan Kun around. Finally, with the change of dynasties, there are only a handful of yellow sand and history books. However, the ideas and beliefs carried by the article will not fade with time, and the influence of such ideas on future generations is immeasurable. It can be said that Cao Pi's "salvation" of this world scholar was enlightening at that time.
? In addition, from the identity of Cao Pi, as a ruler, he has great appeal. Influenced by his father Cao Cao, he is also one of the representatives of Jian 'an's character. Cao Pi's influence on literature is undoubtedly enormous. None of his contemporaries advocates and praises the value of articles, which is not as good as the emperor's good words. Rulers are not completely addicted to politics, and it is really rare to promote the status of articles to the great cause of governing the country. It is easier to convince the broad masses of scholars, which undoubtedly has a great influence on the social atmosphere at that time. Moreover, since the Qin Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties have been eager to make great achievements, and their fame will last forever. They have always been bold in politics and gathered people's hearts with their achievements. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, metaphysics happened to prevail, and alchemists frequently refined medicine. In the trend of seeking immortality, Cao Pi was like a mirror, and on the basis of inheriting his father Cao Cao's "Although turtles live a long life, there is still time to fight", he clearly put forward that "life is sometimes exhausted" instead of dreaming of living with heaven. As an emperor, he can elevate the status of a scholar from a commanding position, often posing as a scholar and gathering "gifted scholars" to compose poems and drink in the garden. He said that articles can be passed down through the ages, and thoughts are immortal. "If it is really good history, it is true that fame is autobiographical." It is precisely because of Cao Pi's special position that he can still have such a profound understanding of the article, and it is commendable that the "article value theory" he advocated was born at that time.
? In a word, Cao Pi's position in the history of China's literary criticism cannot be ignored. He summarized some scattered literary criticism viewpoints since the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties, emphasized the value and function of literature, and denounced the social ills of "belittling scholars". From the influence of the writer's temperament and personality on his creation and the imperfection of various article genres, he shows that writers have their own expertise and shortcomings, and they cannot ignore the shortcomings of others with their own strengths, and advocate the correct critical attitude of "judging others with their own strengths." These unprecedented foresight not only solved the problems that the predecessors failed to solve, but also had a great influence on the formation of the standard principles and methods of literary criticism in later generations.
? But in addition, we must clearly realize that Cao Pi's literary criticism of "poetic beauty" also has its limitations, which are limited by his times. On the one hand, his proposition has its limitations. First of all, he overemphasized the gorgeous form of prose, but at the same time, he didn't mention the expression techniques and content requirements of expression forms covered by poetry and fu, which led to the imbalance between content and form to some extent. Poetry and fu are full of literary embellishment, but the bias here makes the description and description of poetry and fu tend to be big and empty, and tend to be thin. And this kind of atmosphere is also related to the popular talk style in Wei and Jin Dynasties. In addition, Cao Pi's literary criticism of "poetic beauty" played down the political utility and consciously distanced itself from social ethics, but it did not deny that it still had the literary function of expressing one's feelings and writing something. At this point, it is undeniable that Cao Pi has some shortcomings, which is why it will be criticized by later critics, criticizing the formalistic tendency shown in it. Secondly, Cao Pi did not emphasize the difference between poetry and fu, but "confused" them as a "subject". While acknowledging that they have the same literary characteristics, they have not subdivided their styles, contents and personalities, which are too general and lack of in-depth and meticulous consideration. In the development and evolution of poetry and fu, the unique personality of its style is becoming more and more distinct, which also confirms some defects of Cao Wei literature.
? But what we must see is that the literary criticism of each period originated from the literary soil of its historical period. Although the inheritance of culture itself is relatively independent, it is impossible for culture to surpass its social stage. They themselves provide a more vivid theoretical source for later literary works and have pioneering power in many aspects. Therefore, we need to make a comprehensive historical orientation and objective judgments in many aspects. Cao Pi's literary criticism of "seeking beauty in poetry and fu" has a great influence in a long historical period, and it is this creative literary consciousness that has established its indelible position in the history of ancient literary theory. Although there are many limitations and deficiencies in it, it has been continuously accepted and created in later generations, making its essence move towards a new era again.