The main viewpoints of Mozi, Xunzi, Han Feizi and Li Shangyin

academic ideas

(1) Love and attack.

His theories of "non-destiny" and "universal love" are in opposition to the Confucian theories of "destiny" and "love has equal difference", holding that "officials are impermanent and expensive, and people have no end." It is required that "the hungry get food, the cold get clothes, and the laborers get rest". Many of them have simple materialism.

The so-called universal love means equality and fraternity. Mozi asked the monarch, father and son, and brothers to get along well on the basis of equality. "If you love yourself, you love yourself", Mozi believes that the phenomenon that the society oppresses the weak, oppresses the poor with the rich, and prides yourself on the humble is caused by the fact that everyone in the world does not love each other. He opposed war and demanded peace.

(2) Tian Zhiming Ghost

The so-called ambition is providence and love for the people. The monarch violates God's will and is punished by heaven, and vice versa. [9]

③ Shangxian County, Shang Tong

Shang Tong asked the people and the Emperor to keep pace, unite as one, and practice just politics. Sages include those who choose sages as officials and those who choose sages as emperors. Mozi believes that the monarch must elect the country's sages and the people should obey the monarch in public administration. Mozi asked the above to know the situation, because only in this way can we reward good and punish evil. Mozi asked the monarch to use Shang Xian, and put forward the idea that "officials are impermanent and expensive, and the people have no final base". [9]

(4) frugality and funeral

Thrift is a point that Mohist school emphasizes very much. They criticized the extravagance and waste of monarchs and nobles, especially opposed the custom of long burial and rebury valued by Confucianism, and believed that long burial and rebury were not conducive to society. People think that monarchs and nobles should live a clean and thrifty life like three generations of ancient sages. Mozi asked Mohism to practice in this respect. [9]

⑤ unhappy

Mozi was extremely opposed to music, and even when he was traveling, he heard the car driving in the direction of singing and immediately turned around. He believes that although music is beautiful, it will affect farmers' farming, women's textile and ministers' handling of government affairs, which is not in line with the principle of the holy king and the interests of the people, so he opposes music. [9]

6 fatal.

On the one hand, Mozi affirmed that Heaven had the will, rewarded the good and punished the evil, and served his "universal love" with the help of external personality gods. On the other hand, he denied the destiny advocated by Confucianism and advocated "non-destiny". It is believed that life recognition, wealth, world security and chaos control are not determined by "fate" As long as people work hard, they can achieve the goal of being rich, expensive, safe and ruling. Mozi opposed the Confucian saying that "life and death have life, wealth is in the sky" and thought that this statement was "decorated with life to call the simple people" Mozi saw that this thought was killing and damaging people's creativity, so he put forward a fate. [9]

Military thought occupies an important position in the whole ideological system of Mohism. Mozi's military thought is a self-defense theory in a weak position, which has two main contents: one is to attack right and wrong and oppose the unjust war of attacking, cutting and plundering; The second is to save and defend and support the just war of defending and punishing.

political thought

Politically, Mozi put forward the ideas of "universal love", "mutual non-aggression", "Shang Xian", "Shang Tong", "frugal use", "frugal burial" and "unhappy". The core of his social and political thought is "being different", and "breaking without breaking" is his concrete action program. He believes that as long as everyone "loves each other and benefits each other", there will be no bullying, arrogance, ignorance and mutual attacks between countries in society. He sharply exposed and criticized the scourge of the rulers' waging war and the luxury and enjoyment in ordinary customs and habits. In the principle of employing people, Mozi advocated meritocracy, opposed cronyism, and advocated that "officials are impermanent and expensive, and the people are not cheap." He also advocated that from the emperor, governors to chiefs at all levels, we should "choose the best people in the world and use them" to act as; People and emperors should obey God's will, carry forward fraternity and practice just politics. Otherwise, it is illegal. This is the meaning of "sharing the world".

Military thought

Non-attack: an unjust war against attack, cutting and plunder

Mozi believed that the wars at that time were predatory and unjust, and they were in a "non-attack"

In all the articles, I repeatedly complained about the meaning of non-attack and thought that war was a fierce thing. He said that most ancient nations perished in this attack, and only a few countries survived. It's like a doctor cured tens of thousands of people, and only a few people were cured. This doctor doesn't deserve to be called a good doctor, a relative, a friend, and war is not a good therapy. Countless rulers died in wars in history. This is tantamount to sounding the alarm for those who attempt to expand their territory and annex the world by attacking the war. Therefore, Mozi advocates serving the world with benevolence and righteousness and eliminating disasters with universal love. In Mozi's eyes, universal love can stop the attack and go to chaos. Universal love is the ethical basis of attacking right and wrong, and not attacking is the inevitable result of universal love. [ 10]

Mozi advocated no attack, especially against the predatory war of "the great attacked the small, the strong bullied the weak, many thieves were few, the deceivers bullied the fools, the noble were arrogant and the rich were arrogant and poor". Taking universal love as the criterion, Mozi strictly divided war into "punishment" (punishment without righteousness) and "attack without innocence", that is, justice and injustice. The war of "loving all the people in the world", such as attacking Sanmiao, Shang Tang and Zhou, is in line with the interests of heaven, ghosts and people in China, and it is a just war with the help of ghosts and gods. On the contrary, it is a war of "attacking the big with the big, bullying the weak with the strong, being outnumbered" and "hating the world". It's not fair. [ 10]

Mozi also resolutely and mercilessly exposed the heavy and endless disasters brought by the war at that time:

(1) Delaying farming time and destroying production. Agriculture is the source of food and clothing for ordinary people. [ 10]

2 robbing money, getting something for nothing. Stealing peaches and plums, robbing people, robbing dogs, robbing chickens, robbing dolphins, robbing cattle and horses, and killing people to steal goods are all "unjust". Attacking small countries, "entering their ditches, cutting their crops, and cutting down their trees" are also unjust acts of "getting something for nothing". [ 10]

(3) killing innocent people and plundering people as slaves. Mozi pointed out that the monarch of a big country ordered the army to attack a small country. "Those who stand in the people's position will be killed." If you fail, you will go home. Husbands think servants are arrogant, and women think chiefs. "

Salvation and Defence: A Just War in Support of Defence and Punishment

Mozi's "only non-attack, is the law of preparing for defense." Starting from "not attacking", Mozi discussed how to actively defend as a weak country. Mozi knew that a great monarch would not give up the war just because he was reasonable, so he advocated "foresight" and actively defended against the war of aggression in which the big attacked the small. These discourses on defensive operations are concentrated in the following eleven chapters of "Preparing the City Gate", forming a defensive theoretical system with the city defense as the core. In a word, it includes three aspects. [ 10]

First, advocate active preparation and strive to make good preparations. "Get ready, the weight of the country. Eating is the treasure of the country; Soldiers, the claws of the country; City, so self-defense. " "So warehouse unprepared millet, can't stay fierce hunger; The library is unprepared, although it is righteous, it cannot be meaningless; The city wall is incomplete and cannot be controlled; There will be no worries and you will not die. " Only by making full preparations in material and spiritual aspects such as logistics, city defense, armament, diplomacy and internal affairs before the war can we create favorable conditions, take the initiative to defend the city and win the defensive war. [ 10]

The second is the active defense guiding ideology of "the defenders of the city should put the enemy first". Mozi believes that in defending the city, we should attack while defending the middle and actively wipe out the enemy. It is the best policy to "wait for the rescue". The concrete measures to "hit the enemy hard" are: using the terrain, relying on the city, and arranging troops correctly; Taking the capital as the center, we will form a multi-level defense in depth for border towns, counties and cities and the capital, blocking them layer by layer and consuming the enemy; Combination of tenacious persistence and timely attack. [ 10]

Thirdly, in the specific tactics of defensive operations, a set of tactical principles of defensive operations is put forward. In "Preparing the City Gate" and other articles, Mozi effectively defended twelve siege methods one by one by asking about birds. For example, the high-close method, the water attack method and the point attack method were all quite advanced siege techniques at that time. Mozi took ingenious measures to explain in detail the making method and using skills of guarding city equipment. [ 10]

Mozi's defense theory occupies an important position in the history of China's military science. Later generations described the principles and tactics of defense, and many ancestors wrote Mozi, so all solid defenses are generally called "persistence." If Fan Li put forward a simple theory of active defense from the strategic point of view, Mozi discussed defense from the operational point of view, and formed a relatively complete theoretical system of defensive operations, which just formed a complementary relationship with Sun Tzu's theory of offensive operations and made positive contributions to the development of traditional military science.

Mozi believes that people's sources of knowledge can be divided into three aspects, namely, listening, speaking and knowing relatives.

2. Xunzi

Ideas and opinions

Main point

Xunzi criticized all the schools, but praised Confucius' thought as the best idea of governing the country. Xunzi claimed to be the heir of Confucius, especially the "foreign Wang Xue" who inherited Confucius. From the standpoint of epistemology, he critically summarized and absorbed hundred schools of thought's theoretical viewpoints, formed a unique view of nature, morality and social history, and summarized the pre-Qin philosophy on this basis.

1. the thought of heaven and man

Xunzi naturalized, objectified and regularized "Heaven", "Destiny" and "Heaven", which can be found in his article "On Heaven". "The stars spin, the sun and the moon pass, the four seasons are royal, the yin and yang are big, and the wind and rain are generous. Everything has its own harmony and life, and its own support. You can see its merits without seeing it. The husband is called God; Everyone knows its success, but it is invisible, and the husband is called heaven.

In Xunzi's view, heaven is nature, without reason, will, good and evil, likes and dislikes. Heaven is a natural day, not a personality god. He called it the subtle functions of yin and yang, wind and rain, etc. God, and the nature formed by this function is called heaven. The creation of the universe is not created by God, but the result of the movement of all things themselves.

2. The concept of "Heaven will always exist"

Xunzi believes that the sky is not mysterious and changeable, but has its own unchanging laws. This law is not a mysterious heaven, but a natural inevitability, which changes independently of human likes and dislikes. People can't violate this law, but only strictly abide by it.

Nature is the real law. Governance is good, governance is chaotic. Heaven will not change because of people's emotions or will, and there is no distinction between good and evil at all. Xunzi is critical of traditional religious superstitions, and thinks that natural changes are not necessarily related to social chaos. It is believed that all kinds of religious ceremonies to sacrifice and mourn the dead are only expressions of "yearning and admiration" and are "human nature" rather than "ghosts". (Book of Rites)

3. The concept of "the separation of heaven and man"

Xunzi believes that nature and human beings have their own laws and responsibilities. Heaven can't interfere with people, heaven returns to heaven, and people return to people, so it is said that heaven and man are separated and incompatible. The good or bad luck in dealing with chaos lies in people, not in the sky. Heaven and man have different functions. "The sky can be a living thing, but it can't distinguish things. The earth can carry people, but it can't rule people" (Book of Rites). "Heaven sometimes has talent, and people have governance" (The Theory of Heaven).

4. The idea of "mastering fate and making use of it"

In Xunzi's view, instead of blindly believing in the authority of heaven, worshiping and praising heaven and waiting for the gift of "heaven", it is better to use the laws of nature to serve people. Xun Kuang emphasized that "the venerable man is in himself" rather than "the admirer is in heaven". Even the attitude towards heaven is regarded as the criterion for distinguishing between a gentleman and a villain. It emphasizes people's subjective initiative in front of nature and advocates the idea of "dominating fate", "cutting everything" and "turning it into things". Xunzi clearly declared that knowing heaven is to dominate nature, so as to dominate nature.

On the Evil Essence of "Turning Nature into False"

Xunzi is most famous for his theory of evil nature, which is in direct opposition to Mencius' theory of good nature. His general argument is that all good and valuable things are the products of human efforts. Value comes from culture, and culture is human creation. It is at this point that man is as important as heaven and earth in the universe.

1. "Man's inherent vice" —— A theory of evil nature with sex as its natural qualification

Xunzi's main effort is to confirm people's dominant position in moral cultivation and governing the country. In terms of moral cultivation, the theory of evil nature advocated by Xunzi is the premise and starting point. Xunzi denied the transcendental moral basis of human nature from the standpoint of the separation between man and nature. In his view, the so-called human nature is the natural nature of human beings, and it is the so-called "being born as a human being". Its natural performance is "hunger means fullness, cold means warmth, and fatigue means rest" [6]. Its essence is the abstract natural biological instinct and psychological instinct that people are born with.

Xunzi believes that this natural desire for material life conflicts with moral and etiquette norms. He believes that human nature is "born with profit", "born with disease and evil", "born with eyes and ears, born with lust", and if "conforming to human nature and feelings, it is out of competition, which is equivalent to committing chaos and violence". So human nature is "evil" rather than "good".

Xunzi's view of love here is related to the early Confucian thought of "pretending to be sexual" However, the concept that sex pretends to take "emotion" as the sky leads to naturalism and emotionalism. Xunzi didn't develop along this road, because he thought inherent vice. Therefore, conforming to his development will lead to people fighting, thieves killing and social chaos. This is the theory of evil nature.

2. Moral education theory of "turning nature into falsehood"

Xunzi believes that nothing without education will be good. For the formation of "goodness" of human nature, Xunzi put forward the proposition that "human nature is evil and its goodness is false". Although Xunzi's theory of human nature is just the opposite of Mencius's, he also agrees that everyone can be a saint. Xunzi believes that, as far as human nature is concerned, "Yao and Shun are as unruly as men, and gentlemen are as villains", all of which are innate evils, and the difference between the wise and the foolish the day after tomorrow is due to "bad customs and accumulated ears". The acquired environment and experience play a decisive role in the transformation of human nature. Through people's subjective efforts, "its propriety and righteousness, the degree of making laws" can transform people's "evil", and then "the person who smears it can be".

Mencius said that people can think that Yao and Shun are good because people are good, while Xunzi demonstrated that Tu can be Yu because people are wise.

3. The significance and purpose of the evil theory of "turning nature into falsehood"

The value of the theory of evil nature lies in: (1) putting forward the innate legitimacy of human nature and treating human nature from a realistic level. (2) Emphasize the role of acquired environment in human development. (3) Further explain the value and significance of music education.

The limitation of the theory of evil nature lies in: (1) Starting from evil nature, it can certainly explain the realistic inevitability of "falsehood" in the education of rites and music, but due to the denial of human moral transcendentalism, the sage's educational behavior of "turning into falsehood" has lost a solid ontological foundation. (2) equate the innate natural nature of human beings with the evil of social morality, and fail to truly see the artificiality of human consciousness between the natural nature of human beings and the "malignancy" of human society. This will make the social "evil" have the foundation of natural ontology and make "evil" a valuable rational behavior. (3) The theory of evil nature makes the transcendence of human nature completely lost, and people completely become slaves to the patriarchal hierarchy of society.

The purpose of the theory of evil nature: evil nature, or good nature, is not decisive for Confucianism. Its value lies only in the fact that the foundation of such a theory of human nature can provide an internal basis for the education of rites and music in the real society.

Cumulative mode of sanctification

As far as moral practice is concerned, Xunzi believes that the highest requirement is "sanctification". Xunzi insisted on the consistency of his theory and thought that saints were no different from ordinary people in terms of natural affection. From one side, it explains the dissolution of the original boundary formed by blood between nobles and civilians at the end of the Warring States period. Xunzi also believes that saints, like ordinary people, can only achieve themselves through acquired efforts. A saint is a product of human beings.

The innate differences between saints and ordinary people, gentlemen and villains have been eliminated. However, the purpose of Xunzi's argument is not to fundamentally abandon this difference, but to highlight this difference from the perspective of acquired efforts. To highlight the efforts to cultivate gentlemen and saints after tomorrow is to emphasize the nobility of spiritual temperament and cultural education. Xunzi's theory has a strong tendency to be knowledgeable and instrumental. But it is in the same strain as Confucius' idea of pursuing the spiritual temperament and character of saints and nobles. Xunzi talked about becoming a saint, hoping that through the enlightenment of saints, the public would change their temperament and even be good.

"Group discrimination" and the debate between ancient and modern, etiquette and law

Xunzi's Social and Political Thought

Xunzi hoped to change the temperament of the people with the help of the enlightenment of saints. However, Xunzi believes that the more important role of a saint is that he can "rule the world", which is the Confucian theory of foreign studies. However, Xunzi reorganized this foreign Wang Xue according to his own epistemology.

2. "Longli respects the sage and the king, values the law and loves the people, and is in charge."

Long ceremony and heavy method

A summary of the dispute between etiquette and Wang Ba.

In the dispute of etiquette and law, Xunzi put forward the proposition of "respecting sages as kings, emphasizing law and loving the people and governing".

3. the theory of "the king after the law" is thick today and thin today.

Xunzi put forward the theory of "the law before the king" in the view of history. The so-called "former king" refers to the "holy king" in modern times or the "king of the world" who may become the king, that is, the ideal supreme ruler. He believes that the "first king" has a long history and short deeds, which is not as reliable as the kings after modern times. The so-called "if you want to see the trace of the holy king, you will be embarrassed by it, and then you will be a king" (Xunzi ChristianRandPhillips), that is, the "first king method" must be realized by the way of "second king method". He advocated "after the king's law" and "Wang Zhidao first" and sought an ideal personality model for the feudal ruling class. Xunzi criticized the concept of "being the first king" for retrogression, and accused "vulgar Confucianism" of "ignoring the law as the first king and being full of troubled times, learning from miscellaneous studies and not knowing the law as the king's system" (Confucian effect). "After the king's law, one system" means bringing everything into the system and scope of the new landlord class.

The Epistemology of "Virtual Silence"

1. "Tianguan Thin Course" and "Mindfulness and Knowledge"

2. The method of "silence"

3. The concept of knowing and doing is that "learning should stop at what you do"

4. The logical thinking of "be worthy of the name"

Xunzi's thought is biased towards experience and personnel, based on social context, attaching importance to social order, opposing mysticism and attaching importance to human efforts. Compared with Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi's thought is more realistic. While paying attention to etiquette and moral education, he also emphasized the punishment function of the political and legal system.

Everything is done by Han Feizi.

Legalist thought

Although Han Feizi is a disciple of Xunzi, his thoughts are quite different from Xunzi's. He didn't inherit Xunzi's Confucianism, but he loved the study of "the name of punishing demons", which was rooted in the study of Huang Lao and formed a set of perfect political ruling theories with "Tao" and "law". Han Fei summed up the thoughts of Shang Yang, Shen Buhai and Shen Dao, the three representatives of legalists, and advocated that kings should govern the country by combining "law", "technique" and "power", which is a master of legalist thoughts.

When Qin Shihuang first saw some articles in Han Fei's works, he said admiringly, "Well, I must see this man swimming with him, and I will never hate him!" In other words, if I can meet this person and talk to his fellow travelers, I will die without regret! After Han Fei's death, contemporary monarchs and ministers competed to study his book Han Fei Zi. Under his guidance, Qin Shihuang completed the imperial industry that unified the six countries.

Han Feizi's principle of opposing political rule is based on personal emotional connection and the improvement of contemporary social moral level. He advocates that the self-interest nature of human beings is the premise of establishing social order, and emphasizes that sovereign power is regarded as the core of all decision-making, and sovereign power is sacred and inviolable. The monarch mainly ruled the people with severe punishments and laws, and established a feudal country with centralized monarchy.

There are two articles in Han Feizi's Han Feizi, Jie Lao and Yu Lao, which show that his thoughts also originated from Laozi, so later generations called him Taoism, which means a new legalist thought derived from Taoism. Ideologically, Han Feizi is a master of legalism; Politically, Shang Yang is the most outstanding figure of Legalism. With his thoughts and actions, Shang Yang created the prosperity of a country, laid the foundation for unifying the world and opened a new era. Legalist school, the two peak figures, got rich nutrition from Laozi.

Han Feizi's learning originated from Xunzi, Confucianism, legalism and Taoism. His highest ideal is "nothing for the monarch, nothing for the law", and he thinks that the law is not for the monarch; I don't have to work hard, but the people obey the law and the world does nothing. However, his theory was too respectful to the monarch and was criticized by later generations.

1, worthy of the name

Han Feizi also advocated "worthy of the name", arguing that you should decide your merits and demerits mainly according to whether your subjects' speeches are consistent with their political achievements.

2. Governing the country according to law

Han Feizi's works absorbed some viewpoints of Confucianism, Mohism and Taoism, with the rule of law as the core. He summed up the experience of early legalists and formed a political and ideological system with law as the center and combining law, technique and potential.

3. The reform is planned.

Reforming the rule of law and strengthening the country is an important content of Han Fei's thought. He inherited Shang Yang's ideological tradition of "ruling the world differently and ruling the country illegally", and put forward the viewpoint of "repairing the past unexpectedly", arguing that "the world is different" and "things are different". ("Five moths")

4. Materialism

Han Feizi opposed the theory of destiny and advocated the unity of man and nature. He believes that "Tao" is the foundation of the occurrence and development of all things, and "Tao" is inherent. Only with the Tao can all things be created. "The sky is high, the ground is hidden, the fighting is strong, and the sun and the moon remain unchanged." "Things in space depend on it." Han Fei also put forward the philosophical concept of "reason" for the first time in the history of China philosophy, and discussed its relationship with "Tao". He believes that "Tao can accomplish everything, and reason can accomplish things." (Xie Lao) In Han Fei's view, "reason" is a special law of things, and people should respect objective laws when doing things.

Han Feizi's epistemology inherited the tradition of materialism in pre-Qin philosophy. His opposition to "transcendental knowledge" and "assertion by experience" occupies an important page in the history of China's philosophy. Han Feizi opposes the view of "foreknowledge". The so-called "transcendental knowledge" is transcendentalism. Han Fei advocates "be quiet after being empty" and gain knowledge by observing things rather than speculating. Han Feizi put forward a famous topic, "Decide right and wrong by name, and judge words by experience" ("Rape and rob regicide"). "Participation" means comparative research, and "inspection" means testing by action, that is, practice. Han Fei believes that it is a sign of ignorance to stick to yourself without practice. It is self-deception to do something you are not sure about. Therefore, he advocated that "the official of the wise master, the prime minister must start from the state department, and the fierce generals must be sent to death." ("Xian Xue").

dialectic

There are many dialectical factors in Han Feizi's thought. Seeing that things are constantly changing, it is pointed out that "the theorem has survival, life and death, and ups and downs." "It is not normal for a thing to survive and die, to die first and live first, to flourish first and then decline." (Xie Lao) He put forward the concept of "contradiction theory" for the first time in the history of China's philosophy. The story of spear and shield told by him still inspires people to analyze problems and express their thoughts.

Han Feizi's political thoughts played a positive role in promoting the feudal unification of China. He was the first philosopher in the history of China to put forward the contradiction of unity of opposites. His philosophical thoughts include mutual materialism and dialectics, which opened up people's thoughts. Han Fei deserves to be a great thinker in the history of China.

4. Li Shangyin

Political epic

As an intellectual who cares about politics, Li Shangyin wrote a lot of poems in this field, and about 100 poems have been handed down. Among them, Bai Yun in the Western Suburb, Shi Dong Sui and Two Feelings are more important works. Li Shangyin's early political poems were mostly based on Chen's current situation, and their harsh tone of grief and indignation and sense of self-expectation reflected his mentality at that time. In poems about political and social contents, it is a feature of Li Shangyin's poems to borrow historical themes to reflect his views on contemporary society. Fu Hou, two poems of Northern Qi Dynasty, Mao Ling, etc. It is a representative.

From the beginning, Li Shangyin was fascinated by Li He's strange style and the beautiful poetic style of the Southern Dynasties. He deliberately imitated and wrote many poems praising love. But in the ninth year of Daiwa (835), he witnessed a bloody and dark political situation in which a large number of court officials were killed and eunuchs came to power. His thought and creation changed, and he wrote many political poems criticizing the dark reality. [20] If we say his views on the current situation, he angrily denounced the crimes of eunuchs, praised the generals who dared to oppose eunuch autocracy, and eagerly looked forward to eradicating eunuchs and restoring the power of the emperor. Another example is deliberately imitating Du Fu's political poem "Hundred Rhymes in the Western Suburb" during the Northern Expedition. [20]

Li Shangyin's political poems are mostly poems that satirize the present through the ancient times. For example, Ode to an Epic criticizes the debauchery, ignorance and incompetence of the rulers. One of the two poems in Sui Palace is intended to remind the rulers of the late Tang Dynasty to learn from history. Another example is Two Poems by Ma Su. Secondly, it satirized and mocked the tragic ending of Tang Xuanzong's estrangement from his relatives and even the loss of his beloved concubine for the sake of the emperor. Implicit and deep, the meaning is beyond words. Jia Sheng deeply embodies the author's feelings: the rulers in the late Tang Dynasty believed in Buddhism for immortality, but they didn't care about the irony of national affairs and their own talents. Another example is Yao Chi, which satirizes the emperor's quest for immortality in the Tang Dynasty, and Sui Shidong, which alludes to the imperial court's eastward expedition to Li.

The success of Li Shangyin's epic lies in paying attention to the conciseness of ideas and the precision of materials, skillfully combining history with reality, or creating fictional scenes with imaginary words, breaking through the limitations of historical facts and revealing the essence of satirical objects more deeply; Or grasp the details or trivia with typical significance and dig deeper to make it more general and typical. At the same time, his own feelings and comments are naturally contained in vivid images, full of lyrical colors and deep feelings, which achieves the harmonious unity of the profundity of implication and the distinctiveness of image and the fuzziness of emotion, and enhances the artistic expression of poetry.

Li Shangyin's political poems reflect many political and military events and major social problems in the late Tang Dynasty. They are the most thoughtful and cognitive parts in Li Shangyin's poetry creation and the main basis for judging his political inclination. Li Shangyin lived a bleak life and was busy making a living all day. Until he was old, he could not realize his political ambitions and ideals. But he was a brave poet, pointing directly at the imperial court, attacking the emperor, and daring to uncover the scars of society to give the world a clear understanding, which made us see the inevitable fate of the late Tang society.