The elderly Jinshi swayed under Han Zhi's words, his face turning pale and ashen by turns. He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, only to find himself momentarily at a loss for words, unable to find the appropriate phrasing. The surrounding Jinshi held their breath, their gazes darting back and forth between Han Zhi and the old scholar; this fierce debate over poetry seemed far more interesting than the "Three Flowers" upon the stage.
Han Zhi gently set down his teacup, stood up, swept his gaze across the entire gathering, and spoke in a clear voice: "Gentlemen, many passages in the *Classic of Poetry* were either collected from folk ballads or originated from ancestral temple sacrifices."
"Take the *Airs of the States*, for instance. Most of them are portrayals of the daily lives of ordinary people, with unadorned wording and a meter far less rigorous than that of later generations. Take lines like 'Pluck and gather the plantains, quick let us pluck them! Pluck and gather the plantains, quick let us have them!'—repeatedly chanted, simple and straightforward, yet vividly presenting a scene of labor."
Chapter 306