1. Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely. But for your sake, I still ponder it. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
2. How to relieve worries? Only Du Kang. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
3. The old man is restless and aims for a thousand miles. In his old age, the martyr is full of ambition. ——Cao Cao's "The Turtle Lives Longevity"
4. Singing over wine, what a life! ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
5. Facing the Jieshi to the east, you can view the sea. Where is the water? The mountains and islands are standing tall. ——Cao Cao's "Viewing the Sea"
6. The mountains never get too high and the sea never gets too deep. The Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to its heart. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
7. The moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south. Three twists and turns around the tree, where is the branch to lean on? ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
8. Like the morning dew, it will be more painful in the future. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
9. Generosity should be shown as generosity, and sorrow will be unforgettable. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
10. The sun and the moon are as if they come out of it; the stars are shining brightly as if they are out of it. ——Cao Cao's "Viewing the Sea"
11. It's like the moon, when can you shake it off? Worry comes from it and cannot be cut off. ——Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing"
12. There are many trees and abundant grass. The autumn wind is bleak and the waves are rising. ——Cao Cao's "Viewing the Sea"
13. Going north to the Taihang Mountains is so difficult and so majestic! ——Cao Cao's "Bitter Cold Journey"
14. The scenery has not changed, I have traveled thousands of times, and I have lived as long as Nanshan without forgetting my mistakes. ——Cao Cao's "Mo Shang Sang"
15. A monkey wears a crown, knowing the small and planning for the strong. ——Cao Cao's "Xiao Lu Xing"
Extended reading: Literary achievements
Cao Cao's literary achievements are mainly reflected in his poetry, and his prose is also very distinctive. There are more than 20 of Cao Cao's poems in existence today, all of which are in Yuefu style. Content can generally be divided into three categories. One type is related to current affairs, the other type is mainly about expressing ideals, and the other type is poems about immortals.
Works that are somewhat related to current affairs include "Xing Dew Xing", "Xing Hao Li", "Bitter Cold Xing", "Stepping out of Xiamen Xing", etc., expressing one's political ambitions and reflecting the suffering life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. , majestic, generous and sad. The two poems "Xing Dew Xing" and "Artemisia Xing Li Xing" were written in the early years of Jian'an. The former article reflects the failure of He Jin's plan to kill the eunuchs and Dong Zhuo's invasion of Luoyang to cause rebellion; the latter article describes the states and counties in Guandong raising troops to fight against Zhuo, each with their own ambitions and killing each other. The content is closely connected. The poem uses concise language to describe this historical process in a highly summary manner, so it is known as "a true record of the late Han Dynasty and a true history of poetry." "Bitter Cold Journey" was written in the eleventh year of Jian'an. The poem describes the severe cold, desolation, and precipitousness of the Taihang Mountains in winter. It is vivid and vivid, and it also expresses the poet's complex inner feelings. "Stepping out of Xiamen" was written in the twelfth year of Jian'an when he was conquering Wuhuan in three counties. The poem includes "Yan" (prelude) and four interpretations. "Yan" focuses on the poet's complicated mood when he went to war. The first interpretation of "Guan Canghai" describes the impressions when the army passed through Jieshi; the second interpretation of "Winter October" and the third interpretation of "Different Soils" describe the experiences on the way back; the fourth interpretation of "Turtle is longevity" describes the victory of this important battle. Thoughts after victory. Poems that mainly express ideals include "Duguan Mountain", "During Wine", "Dan Ge Xing", etc. The first two articles deal with political ideals. The peaceful and prosperous age he envisioned was a politics of virtuous kings and good ministers that combined Confucianism and Legalism and used both grace and authority. This is undoubtedly of progressive significance in the context of the great social destruction in the late Han Dynasty. The theme of "Dan Ge Xing" is seeking talents. It uses poems such as "The mountains never get too high, the sea never gets too deep, the Duke of Zhou spits out food, and the world returns to its heart." It expresses the desire for talents and the desire to recruit talents in order to achieve great achievements.
In terms of artistic style, Cao Cao's poems are simple and unpretentious, without any decoration. They win with deep emotions and majestic charm. The mood of the poem is characterized by generosity and sadness. Generous and sad, this is originally the common theme of Jian'an literature, but in Cao Cao's poems, it is the most typical and prominent. In terms of poetry genre, Cao Cao's Yuefu poems did not copy the conventions of Han Yuefu, but developed somewhat. For example, "Xing Dew Xing" and "Hao Li Xing" are both elegy in Han Yuefu, but he used old titles to express brand-new content. Cao Cao initiated the tradition of using Yuefu to write about current affairs, which had a profound influence.
Extended reading: Cao Cao’s life
Cao Cao’s grandfather, Cao Teng, was a prominent eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His father, Cao Song, rose to the rank of Taiwei. Cao Cao has been alert and mature since he was a child, and he likes to associate with famous people. When he was 20 years old, he was recommended by the prefecture and county, and was awarded the title of "Lang" with "Xiaolian" as the "Lang" in the northern part of Luoyang.
During his tenure, he made a five-color stick and hung it on the gate of Weishi. Anyone who violated the prohibition, regardless of their status, would be killed with the stick. Later, he moved to Dunqiu Ling and conscripted Yilang.
Later he moved to Dunqiu Ling to recruit Yilang. In the 7th year of Guanghe reign of Emperor Ling (184), he was appointed as the Cavalry Captain, followed Huangfu Song to suppress the Yingzhou Yellow Turban Army, and moved to Jinan Prime Minister. In the 6th year of Zhongping (189), Cao Cao and Yuan Shao defeated Dong Zhuo. After suppressing the Yellow Turban Army, the team grew day by day. In the first year of Jian'an (196), he welcomed Xu County, the capital of the Han Dynasty, and was granted the title of General and Marquis of Wuping. From then on, Cao Cao held great power and ordered all directions to destroy Lu Bu, defeat Yuan Shao, conquer Wuhuan, and unify northern China.
Cao Cao "took the emperor to order the princes" and gained a political advantage. He built water conservancy projects and implemented the "farming system", which laid the material foundation for the unification of northern China. Cao Cao adhered to the employment policy of "recommending talents and appointing talents only" and recruited talents from various sources. In terms of military affairs, Cao Cao "composed more than 100,000 words of military books" and compiled and annotated 13 chapters of "Sun Tzu", and gained a deep understanding of the art of war. He spent his life mainly in battles, commanding operations to "create surprises according to circumstances, deceive the enemy to win, and change like a god." In the 14 years from the age of 39 to 53, he experienced more than 50 battles, and successively eliminated Yang Feng, Han Xian, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, and Lu Bu, surrendered Zhang Xiu, conquered Wuhuan, and unified the north. After the defeat at Chibi, Cao Cao still used the spirit of "a martyr's twilight years with endless aspirations" to fight against Hefei, chase Ma Chao, occupy Guanzhong, pacify Hexi and Longyou lands, and consolidate the unification of the north. In literature, Cao Cao advocated a new literary trend and created many excellent poems and prose, which played a decisive role in the formation and development of Jian'an literature.