The Genre Convention and the Characteristics of Bao Zhao’s Imitation of Ancient Yue-Fu Poems：Beginning with the Poems Containing the Word“Dai?in the Title

The unique style of Bao Zhao’s Yue-fu poems has received wide attention in early China. His poems in the syle of ancient Yue-fu poems are the most popular ones, winning much critical acclaim in the Chinese literary history. These poems are notable for their similar characteristics to lyrics, but in the meantime the writing conventions that Bao Zhao has followed are not very clear. It is supposed that all Yue-fu poems have the same characteristics, so only after distinguishing them can we specify the style of Bao Zhao’s Yue-fu poems. By comparing them with the poems that he has imitated, we can properly analyze his poems and provide a detailed explanation for critics’ using “vigorous” and “free and uninhibited” to describe his Yue-fu poem style.
This study examines the characteristics of Yue-fu poems, traces the writing tradition of Chinese song writing and discusses the writing conventions adopted by Bao Zhao. This study also reveals Bao Zhao’s innovations, which have influenced later poets to have their personal styles when imitating.