Liuyi Ci

The author Ouyang Xiu, courtesy name Yongshu, pseudonym Zuiweng and later Liuyi Jushi, was one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song" and a prominent statesman of his time who participated in implementing the Qingli Reforms. The artistic characteristics of his ci poetry are, first, his skill in depicting everyday scenes—lines such as "a light boat and short oars, how fine West Lake is" sketch the leisurely beauty of West Lake, while "plum blossoms fading at the post station" conveys the sorrow of travel and parting, with scene and feeling blended; second, his emotions are delicate and sincere, encompassing both the open-heartedness of "life itself is made of passionate fools" and the lingering tenderness of "after parting I know not how far you are"; third, his language is clear and natural, eschewing heavy ornamentation while combining elegance and accessibility—lines such as "the moon rises to the willow tips, lovers meet after dusk" have been passed down through the ages. As an important representative and promoter of the Northern Song graceful ci, Ouyang Xiu inherited from Feng Yansi and inspired Su Shi, Qin Guan, and others, breaking once and for all the limitation of ci as "erotic verse" and greatly expanding its subject matter.