At the beginning of the founding of the Ji Zhou Dynasty, from top to bottom, he vigorously advocated the code of conduct that adhered to morality, etiquette, and demeanor, resulting in two different types of articles: edicts and monuments. Even at that time, being able to write a poem whenever there was a funeral became one of the abilities that an official who was qualified for the position of "doctor" must have.

What is it? "Interpretation of the Name" explains: "Eh, tired. List the things, and call them also. Therefore, the remark is to recount the deeds of the deceased during his lifetime, record them and publicize them, and hope for immortality. Before Xia Shang, a complete record of this kind of fame for the deceased has not been handed down, so it cannot be verified. At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, although there was a form of script, it had not yet spread down to the level of "scholar", and even commoners or people of lower status were not allowed to write verses to nobles or high-ranking figures, and juniors could not write verses to their elders. At that time, when Zhou Tianzi passed away, it must be said that it was "heaven to say it", and he also had to go to the southern suburbs of the sacrificial site to read the edict and determine the name. Ceremony like this bell was unusually grand at the time.

According to the "Book of Rites: Tan Gong Shang", in the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Zhuang Gong (Ji Tong, the 16th monarch of the Lu State from 706 to 662 BC) and the Song State fought on the hill at the border of Lu. On the battlefield, Lu Zhuanggong blamed the driver for his lack of manliness because his car overturned; Almost at the same time, two motorists, in order to prove their bravery, immediately rushed into the front of the battle and died. Afterwards, Lu Zhuanggong regretted that he had wrongly blamed the two drivers, and specially praised them, as if posthumously commending them. And this example should be applied to the origin of the "scholar" class.

In addition, according to the record of "Zuo Chuan: The Sixteenth Year of Aigong", after the death of Confucius, Lu Aigong (the 26th monarch of Lu State in ?-468 BC) once wrote a poem: "Min Tian does not hang, and does not leave an old man behind." Yu Ping Yu is in power, and Yu Yu is guilty. Alas! Nun. No self-discipline". Among them, the ardent feelings expressed in "melancholy" and the lamentation and sorrow poured out by "Woo Hu" are not masterpieces of wisdom in the text, but they are completely in line with the aspiration style of this genre.

Another example is the record of "The Biography of the Daughters: The Virtuous", Lu Guoliu Xiahui's wife has a reminiscence of her husband's inscription: "The master is not ruthless, the master is inexhaustible, the master's sincerity is sincere, and it is harmless to others." Qu is gentle and obedient, does not force inspection, saves the people with shame, and is virtuous. Although he is dethroned three times, he will never be hidden, and he will always be able to be fierce. It's a pity, it's the next life, it's a few years, and it's gone. Woo hoo and mourn, the soul is discharged, and the master's words should be beneficial." The pity and praise in it, the true overflow of words, although it belongs to the well-known verse, but the disadvantage is that the rhyme is too long.

After entering the Han Dynasty, various cultural achievements were inherited, restored, and Hongdae to varying degrees. In the Western Han Dynasty, for the empress of the Han Yuan Emperor, Yang Xiong wrote the "Yuan Hou Xu", although it is famous, but the rhetoric is too long. However, in his "Hanshu Yuan Hou Biography", Ban Gu only excerpted a few lines of "the essence of Taiyin, the spirit of Shalu, the combination of Han and the generation of Yuan" in "Yuan Hou Xu", so that the Jin Dynasty's Zhiyu actually thought that this was the whole text of Yang Xiong's verse. In fact, in any case, how can all the verses used to reiterate virtue and make a name for fame only have only four sentences? On the occasion of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Du Du (a famous scholar of the Duling people in Jiyajingzhao in ?-78 AD) was rewarded by Emperor Guangwu for conceiving a verse in prison, and then became famous. Needless to say, no one in any era, in any case, should not be as valuable as gold because the emperor has praised someone's article, and then even his other works are as valuable as gold, right? Another example is Fu Yi, who is not only thoughtful, but also rigorous and exquisite in writing, like his "Emperor Ming" and "Beihai Wang", etc., with clear narration and natural plot transitions. Their contemporaries were also Su Shun (the Eastern Han literati died in an unknown year, Xiaoshan) and Cui Ming, both of whom fortunately had the talent to create the text in their works, which were simple and decent, and the facts were narrated like biographies, especially in terms of rhetoric, rhyme, and style. Subsequently, Pan Yue of the Jin Dynasty, conceived the text, studied under Su Shun, and was still good at recounting sad feelings, and the rhetoric was novel and cordial. As for other character works, such as Cui Chu's "Zhao Zhao" and Liu Tao (also known as Wei Zi Qi Yingchuan Yingyin people in the late Eastern Han Dynasty), the overall work not only conforms to the law, but also is concise and to the point. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, Cao Zhi also enjoyed a good reputation, but his prose was too cumbersome and the tone was slow and procrastinating, for example, at the end of his "Emperor Wen", he used more than 100 words to confess himself, which was obviously far from the traditional meaning and fundamental needs of the genre.

If you trace back to the roots, such as the article "Xuanniao" in the "Book of Songs: Ode to Shang", it is the praise of the ministers of the Yin Dynasty to the Shang kings, and the "Shengmin" in the "Book of Songs: Daya" is the praise of the ancestors of the subjects of the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, repeating the merits of the ancestors is originally a genre that poets have always used. As for how to better express the emotional atmosphere of sadness and sorrow, it needs to be different from person to person, and each person should learn from each other's strengths. For example, Fu Yi's "The King of the North Sea" has the sentence "The sun is dark and the fog is dark", which is used to show that after the death of the King of the North Sea, "the day has become dark, and the clouds and mist have become more gloomy." Such an emotionally bold rendering not only became an immediate model for learning at the time, but also became more vivid and touching for similar works by later generations.

The style of the above verses is summarized in the following parts: first, an excerpt of the important remarks of the deceased, second, a record of the main life deeds, and third, the praise of virtue begins and ends with the expression of mourning. Among them, all those who talk about the voice and smile of the deceased must be faint, as if they were right in front of them; Whoever talks about the sorrow and sorrow of the living will surely be in pain, just like tearing the lungs and tearing the heart...... This is the creative purpose and formal requirements that "诔" as a literary genre should achieve.

What is a monument? The stele is also a monument. That is to say, the word "stele" originally came from the word "pi", and "pi" means "gain, increase".

It is said that in the era of the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors, in order to inform the heavens and the earth of the matter of sacrificial and Zen worship, they used the pile of soil, trees and stones as token symbols; This is the prototype of the stele. According to the "Biography of King Mu of Zhou", King Mu of Zhou once carved a stone standing wood on the mountain to mark the name of the place he visited; This is a practical illustration of an ancient monument. In the early days, in front of the gate of the temple, there were generally two wooden or stone pillars standing on the left and right, which were mainly used to tie up cattle and were not used to inscribe merits; With the gradual decline in the use of metal ritual vessels, people gradually began to carve inscriptions on stone pillars in the past; Again, this is for the purpose of permanent preservation. In fact, in a similar situation, there are also stone pillars or wooden stakes in the cemetery, which were originally used to help lower the coffin, but gradually evolved into a "stele" for inscription commemoration.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, square steles and round stones have become popular. In terms of writing carved stone characters, if you are talented and second to none, the well-deserved one must be Cai Yong. For example, his "Taiwei Yang Ci Tablet", because he is well versed in the essence of the "Yaodian" and "Yixun" chapters in the "Shangshu", so he can be solemn and elegant; In addition, his "Chen Yu Monument" and "Guo Tai Monument" are two articles, with moderate praise and appropriate mourning, not only the deceased but even the living are well-deserved; Moreover, such as "Runan Zhou Xun Monument" and "Taifu Hu Guang Monument", etc., the life of the characters is not only clear, but also the comments and feelings are all fair. In short, Cai Yong's inscription, in terms of narrative, is not only focused, but also concise; In terms of literary style, it is not only clear and elegant, but also warm and shiny; In terms of reason, it is very tactful and smooth, and there is no flaw in the lack of reasoning, so it can be called ingenious, that is, outstanding, and natural. Therefore, because Kong Rong followed Cai Yong, he gained in the inscriptions, especially prominently, like his "Weiwei Zhang Jian Inscription" and "Chen Tablet", which can be called righteous and strict and brilliant. Kong Rong's attainments in the inscription are second only to Cai Yong. As for the later Sun Xuan (314-371 A.D. Xing Gongzhong Du people Eastern Jin Dynasty Xuanyan poet), he relied on his literary brilliance, and also wrote steles and became famous for a while, such as his "Wen Qiao Tablet", "Prime Minister Wang Dao Tablet", "Dazai Xijian Tablet", "Taiwei Yuliang Tablet", etc., the disadvantages are too complicated, too many branches, and quite complicated; Only the "Huan Yi Monument" is the most appropriate, with an orderly line of thought.

Looking at the style of writing inscriptions, if we talk about the style, we should indeed have the ability of a "historian". Because, the "preface" part is similar to the biography of a person, and the text part is just like the charm of "Ming". Therefore, the writing of the inscription, when stating the good virtues, needs to show the elegance of the wind and righteousness, and in the reminiscence of the great feats, it must highlight the heroic hardship. This is the fundamental regulation of the inscription. If we talk about the essence of the inscription, the source comes from the custom of inscribed on the utensils, so the inscription and the inscription are in the same vein in terms of content. If you go back to the source, in fact, it is not difficult to see that it should be the habit of carving words on the utensils first, and then there is the pursuit of the tree monument to become famous and the world. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to classify inscriptions that are simply used to sing praises of virtue into the category of inscriptions; It would also be appropriate to put the monument of the deceased into the category of poetry.

All in all: chasing the ancestors and cherishing the distance depends on the establishment of the monument; Engrave the praise, the purpose is to think about it. The wind on the stele is like a warm heart, and the sentiment is poignant like a cracked liver. The graphite remnants are still glorious, and the demeanor of the deceased is at a loss!