Poetry should express a poet's grief while not violating the aesthetic rule of proper grace. First raised by renowned Southern Dynasties literary theorist Zhong Rong (?-518？), this is an important criterion used to judge the merit of poetry. Proceeding from an artistic perspective, Zhong deemed poems by Cao Zhi (192-232) as "having a mixed quality of grace and sorrow." He stressed that a poet should guard against excess emotion and obey the rule of proper grace. As for how to understand the notion of "graceful sorrow," there are two somewhat different interpretations. According to the first, the emphasis of that notion is on sorrow; namely, Cao's poems seek to voice suppressed grief, despite a restrained, proper style of expression. The second interpretation says that "grace" and "sorrow" here are of equal weight, insisting that Cao's poems are both aggrieved and graceful. No matter what, Zhong's theory enhanced Lu Ji's (261-303) idea that “poetry springs from emotions” to a new level and elaborated on the traditional theory that “feelings should be controlled by ritual propriety.

Poems by Cao Zhi, are profoundly influenced by "Ballads from the States" of The Book of Songs. They are majestic and beautiful in style, with a mixed quality of grace and sorrow. Content and form fit together seamlessly. Cao Zhi thus puts all past poetic endeavors to shame and boasts a remarkable edge over his contemporaries. (Zhong Rong: The Critique of Poetry)

"Ballads from the States"express passionate love without indulgence. "Minor Court Hymns" make complaints and criticisms without inciting trouble. As for “Lisao” by Qu Yuan, it combines the aesthetic merits of both "Ballads from the States" and "Minor Court Hymns." (Records of the Historian)