摘要
This literary term is used in poetry to comment on a ruler’s moral character, policies, decrees, andperformance, either in praise or criticism. Confucius was the first to point out that poetry could beused to vent resentment and thus established a basic function of poetry writing by emphasizing therole The Book of Songs played in voicing grievances. In the Han Dynasty, however, poetry tended tobe used as a vehicle for extolling the accomplishments and virtues of rulers. In “Preface to Mao’s Versionof The Book of Songs ” and “Preface to On the Categories of The Book of Songs,” two influentialwritings on theory of poetry published during the Han Dynasty, extolment and satirical criticism wasregarded as an underlying rinciple of poetic criticism. This principle was widely employed by poetsand writers of later generations as a way of getting involved in politics and making their impact onthe society. This constituted a fundamental function and an essential feature of Chinese literature.
