This quotation from the chapter “Extolment and Commendation” of The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons conveys the idea that the people should be allowed to freely express their ideas and release their emotions, as all remarks, especially critical and remonstrative ones, may have positive roles to play. Every commoner has his or her own views and feelings on social issues, especially on how the government is run.These discordant views and highly personal feelings, whether laudatory or critical, should be considered by the leadership of the state as reflections of the ethos, sentiments, thoughts, and opinions of the public, and as reference points for the improvement of governance. There is a need for free expression of views and wishes and proper release of discontent by the people, whose voices must not, and certainly can never, be silenced. In this sense, the quotation reveals the spirit of realism in Chinese literature. It encourages writers to know and write about reality, to straightforwardly express feelings and points of view, and not to write for flattery, adulation, material benefits, or avoidance of harm.

The harm caused by not letting people express their opinions is greater than that caused by blocking the course of a running river. When a river bursts its banks, many people are harmed. The same is true for blocking the expression of popular sentiment. (Discourses on Governance of the States)

The people have their own thoughts. Their voices should not be silenced. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Wen of Jin launched a military campaign against the State of Chu. The Jin troops recited “luxuriant grass in a plain field”as an allegory of saying that the war went against the farming time. Confucius was highly valued by the State of Lu. The Lu people satirized Confucius with “wearing a fawn fur coat and an unnecessary knee-covering panel” to indicate that it was not wrong to abandon him if he made no merit to the country. The people of both states spoke straightforwardly instead of singing praises. Their satires were brief and simple. Be that as it may, Zuo Qiuming and Kong Shun classified them as odes. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)