The "Four Beginnings" of the Book of Songs generally refer to the creative style of the poems, which are "wind, small elegance, great elegance, and song"; or refers to the corresponding representative works, namely "Guan Ju", "Lu Ming", "King Wen" and "Qing Temple".

What is "Ode"? The so-called ode is "tolerance". "Accommodating" is the extension form and the connotation level. Therefore, as the saying goes: "Those who are tolerant are grand and beautiful, and those who are tolerant are great." ”

"Preface to Mao's Poems" records: "The affairs of a country are the foundation of one person, and they are called the wind; Speaking of the things of the world, the wind of the four directions, is said to be elegant; The elegant one, the righteous also, the reason for the abolition of the king's government, the government has a size, so there is a small Yayan, there is a big Yayan; The praiser, the description of beauty and virtue, is also known to the gods for its success. It is said to be the four beginnings, and the "poem" is also the best. ”

"Historical Records of the Confucius Family" records: "The rebellion of "Guan Ju" was thought to be the beginning of the wind; "Luming" is the beginning of Xiaoya, "King Wen" is the beginning of Daya, and "Qing Temple" is the beginning of Song. ”

As can be seen from the above, "Song" is a style of writing, which aims to praise the beauty of virtue and promote the reputation of virtue. It is said that during the Emperor's reign, the musician Xianhei (also known as Xianqiu Hei) composed the "Nine Strokes" ode. Since the Book of Songs, the writing style of "Song" has matured and complete. All poems, if they are used to educate and regulate secular folk customs, are called "wind"; And the one whose content is peaceful and can flow around is "elegant"; If it is aimed at promoting virtue and beauty, and can comfort the gods of the heavens, it can be called "ode". Normally, wind and elegance are used to write narratives, but the characteristics of personnel are changeable, so there are "positive wind", "righteous elegance", "changing wind" and "becoming elegant" echoing it. Fundamentally, "ode" is mainly used to comfort the gods, so it focuses on the purity, solemnity and goodness of the content. For example, "Lu Song" was originally the greatness of Lu State's sacrifice to Zhou Gong Ji Dan, and "Shang Song" is the glory of the descendants of the Shang Dynasty remembering their ancestors. Therefore, for those who are suitable for the temple, there should only be an ode to elegance, and there should not be a hymn like a feast. "The Book of Songs: Song of Zhou" in the "Shi Mai", legend has it that during the reign of King Wu of Zhou, it was created by Zhou Gongdan himself. A work like "Shi Mai", which is full of sage wisdom, not only conforms to the stylistic format of "ode", but also sets an immortal model for this style of writing.

During the reign of King Li of Zhou, according to the "Chinese • Zhou Yu Shang", it is recorded: "The people of the country dare not speak, and the road is the goal." Wang Xi, tell Shao Gong, I can slander you, but I dare not speak. Shao Gong said, it is an obstacle. The mouth of the people is more important than the Sichuan. When the river collapses, many people will be injured, and so will the people. Therefore, it is the envoy of the Sichuan people and the envoy of the people. This story of the Western Zhou Dynasty has long been famous, and the truth is simple and easy to understand, and the person it emphasizes is just such a common sense of the world: "As long as the people have their own hearts, it is inevitable that they will gossip and then talk about it." Therefore, those in power must let the people speak, and if freedom of speech is forbidden like building an embankment to prevent waterproofing, there will be endless troubles. ”

"Zuo Chuan • The Twenty-eighth Year of the Duke of Xu" records that the Duke of Jin Wen will start a war with the Chu State, because he has heard the car-making craftsmen sing: "Harada is always a plan to abandon the old and make the new." So, he began to hesitate. But his advisers analyzed that the folk rumors were a good sign for the Jin State to go on an expedition. As a result, Jin Wengong became famous in a fight. "Lü's Spring and Autumn • Le Cheng" records that when Confucius was just reused by the Lu State, the folk circulated: "The Qiu and the Qiu, the cast is not angry, and the Yun and the Qiu are cast without post." The content is to ridicule Kong Qiu's humble background. However, Confucius was in power for three years, and there was a civilized style around his life, "men and women are different, roads are not lost, and houses are not closed at night". In these two stories, in response to the unconcealed and outspoken gossip of the common people, Zuo Qiu Ming and Kong Chuan, who are the 6th grandsons of Confucius, the people of the Warring States of Lu (with the character Gao, believe that the content and form of this kind of singing should be called "recitation", and regard it as a kind of stylistic declension from "ode" to change from the praise of the temple to the discussion of human affairs. Therefore, "Song" is a continuation of such a trend, from far to near all the way. When Qu Yuan's "Ode to Orange" came out, the "ode" was not only more gorgeous and colorful in terms of content and words, but also involved more trivial and complicated categories.

After Qin Shi Huang ruled the world, famous mountains and rivers were erected one after another to sing the inscription of merit and virtue. By the time of Emperor Hui and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, there were similar chapters and eulogies, which emerged in endlessly. Therefore, the essence of the inscription chapters that highlight the merits of the emperor like this is actually the evolution of "ode", and the successive dynasties have been extended again and again, and they have appeared and disappeared from time to time. In addition, such as Yang Xiong's "Ode to Zhao Chongguo" commending Zhao Chongguo, Ban Gu praising Dou Rong's "Ode to Anfeng Daihou", Fu Yi promoting Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty's "Ode to Xianzong", and Shi Cen praising Deng Hou's "Ode to Hexi Deng Hou", etc., they imitate the style of "Song" in the "Book of Songs", that is, "Song of Zhou", "Song of Lu" and "Song of Shang". These imitations, although of varying levels and contents, have never been abandoned from the tradition of praise, praise, and praise in the form of "ode". However, Ban Gu's "Ode to General Dou's Northern Expedition" and Fu Yi's "Ode to the Western Expedition" have written the ode as a long narrative, which is not too much, and obviously deviates from the regulation of "ode". Moreover, like Ma Rong (AD 79-166 Zi Ji Chang Fufeng Maoling Eastern Han Dynasty scholar) "Ode to Guangcheng" and "Ode to Shanglin", although elegant and beautiful, but written more like Cifu, such a text is not right, it is indeed incredible! There are also "Ode to Nanyang Literature" by Cui Ying (year of birth and death unknown, Zizi, Anping, Yuzhuo County, Eastern Han Dynasty calligrapher, writer), and Cai Yong (133-192 AD, character Bo Jiao, Chen Liujun County, Eastern Han Dynasty writer, calligrapher), "Ode to Jingzhao Fan Huiqu", whose preface is exquisite and the content is simple. As for Zhiyu (250-300 A.D., a scholar of the Western Jin Dynasty who was from Zhongqia Jingzhao Chang'an) in his "Liubei Collection", although he traces the origin and comments of the style of "Song", although it is very incisive, he thinks that some works are still in the style of "Song", which is inevitably pedantic and vain, similar to the yellow and white technique of turning stones into gold. Throughout the Wei and Jin dynasties, people's grasp of "Song" was still decent. Therefore, like Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Birth of the Crown Prince" and Lu Ji's "Ode to the Heroes of Han Gaozu", they are all masterpieces of this period. However, in their works, praise and denigration are often mixed together, which is a symptom of the declension of "Song" at the end of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Tracing back to the source, the content of the ode should be elegant and exquisite, the rhetoric should be loud, and in terms of momentum, that is, there is the same stretch and magnificence as Fu, and the extravagance and flashiness of Fu must be eliminated; In terms of attitude, there is the same reverence and reserve as the inscription, and it is necessary to distinguish the exhortation and vigilance of the inscription. Therefore, "Ode" is to praise and praise when the pen is raised, and its ultimate goal is to establish a monument. In terms of specific content and form, what should be the degree of "ode" to subtlety and meticulousness or coarseness and boldness? In this regard, it can only be changed from situation to situation and from person to person...... This is the general situation of "ode" as an independent genre of the article.

What does it mean to "like"? Praise means to proclaim, explain, and support and assist. Legend has it that in the Yu Shun era, the sacrifice was first chanted by the official who was in charge of Lezheng, and then Baigong began to play and sing. In addition, like "Yi Praise Yu Yu" in "Shangshu Da Yu Mo" and "Yi Zhi Praise Yu Wuxian" in "Shangshu Preface", the "like" of the former has the meaning of "concern and help", while the latter is mainly "reminder and explanation". In addition, the Han Dynasty set up the official position of "Honglu", which is called "praise" when officials are in a major situation...... The above is the general situation of "like" passed down by word of mouth in ancient times.

Since Sima Xiangru wrote "Jing Ke Treatise", there has been a stylistic format of "praise". In Sima Qian's "Historical Records" and Ban Gu's "Book of Han", "praise" is used to express praise and disapproval, which is not only like a summary of the full text, but also like the beautiful words and comments in the ode style, and more like the evaluation and judgment behind the biography...... Indeed, between them, there are similarities. However, in Zhiyu's "Liubei Collection", the author regards this kind of "like" word as a kind of "narrative" style, which is almost a thousand miles away. As for the "Tuzan" in Guo Pu's annotation of "Erya", etc., the word "like" is used for both animals and plants, and the praise and disapproval are inclusive. Such a category, just like the evolution of "praise", can be regarded as a declension of "praise".

Tracing back to the source, it is not difficult to find: originally "like" is just a praise for things, and all the styles that belong to "like" have generally been very short and not verbose, the most often four-character sentences, and between the rhymes, the overall is only about 20 sentences. Therefore, the aim is to keep it simple and concise, and aim to express the meaning...... This is the written outline of "like". Therefore, as a literary style, although its origin is far away, its use is extremely limited. In terms of rough classification, "Zan" can be regarded as a tributary of "Song".

All in all: it is the duty of praise to praise the great cause of merit, and it is the duty of praise to beautify the emperors and sages. They all studied the arts and sciences, and they all carved the rhyme, only to please the eye, and aimed to make a name for themselves. Praise and praise is the source, and depreciation of gains and losses is the last stream, and the sound of the high hall is far away, and the willow waves are free to hear the sound of the warbler.