After finishing his chat with Liangcha, Huang Yifan suddenly received a new friend request on TT.
Verification note: "Literature Enthusiast."
Without thinking much of it, he casually clicked "Accept." A moment later, the person sent a message:
"Hello, I really wanted to discuss some literary topics with you."
The user ID was "Sun Zaian", probably a real name, though it could also be a pseudonym or a pen name.
"Hello. I don't think we know each other. What made you want to discuss something like this with me?"
Huang Yifan asked, puzzled.
"Heh, your profile signature caught my eye. It felt like something a literary person would write, so I added you."
"Uh, my profile signature?"
Opening TT, he looked at the signature: "I have a pearl of great worth…"
Ah, right, this was a poem he had added after finishing 'Ghost Mocks the Scholar' in the Supernatural Community Forum.
He hadn't expected that to attract a fellow literature enthusiast. Quickly, he deleted it.
Well, since they were both into literature, they might as well chat.
Truth be told, Huang Yifan was quite happy to talk with literature lovers in this world.
"Just something I wrote when I was bored. Don't take it too seriously."
"You're being modest. That poem is truly classic. By the way, are you a professional poet?"
"No."
Huang Yifan shook his head. "I'd say I'm just an enthusiast."
"Impressive. I'm a poetry lover too, but I feel that while classical poetry is beautiful, it doesn't quite suit today's modern, urban society."
"That's not entirely fair. If a poem is a true classic, it will still be appreciated."
"Sure, classics have their charm. But overall, the genre's in decline. The modern world no longer has the soil in which classical poetry could grow. People's tastes have changed too."
"You've got a point there."
Huang Yifan nodded in agreement, and the two got into a lively discussion.
"That's why modern poetry emerged, to better suit contemporary aesthetic values."
"It seems you really do know poetry well, Mr. Huang. But I have to admit, I enjoy classical poems much more than modern ones. I just can't quite appreciate modern poetry."
"Is it because modern poetry hasn't produced many classics?"
"That's part of it. But mostly, it's because modern poetry is just too free-form. Don't you think?"
Modern poetry originated in the late Qing Dynasty, heavily influenced by the May Fourth New Culture Movement. Scholars began introducing Western poetry, translating and writing in vernacular Chinese. Though such works had limited distribution at first, the act of translating Western poetry into vernacular form gave the new era of Chinese poetry a fresh direction. And so, modern poetry, more liberated and emotionally direct than classical verse, was born.
But that same pursuit of freedom eventually led to chaos. The lack of structure and overly casual tone made much of it feel like prose cut into lines. That blunt, hasty style robbed poetry of its essence and elegance.
"I don't quite agree."
While Huang Yifan wasn't a die-hard fan of modern poetry, he'd been influenced by many great works in his previous life. He couldn't deny its value. So he offered his take:
"Modern poetry is also called free verse; it has no fixed structure and allows great creative freedom. But freedom doesn't mean no rules at all. It's freedom in form, not in spirit. I believe a great modern poem, like a classical one, should still be rhythmically pleasing and rich in flavor. And ideally, it should also carry the depth and resonance of classical verse. Of course, if it can also feature refined wordplay within a free form, that's even better."
"Well said, though your answer is a bit vague. There's no standard."
"Literature has never had strict standards. If it did, it'd be a craft, not an art. That said, I don't think modern poetry is entirely without guidelines. Maybe not like a math formula, but there's definitely a general evaluation framework."
"You mean, language, imagery, and emotion?"
"That's one way to put it, but I think those criteria are incomplete. When I analyze a modern poem, I break it down into three realms: 'objective realm', 'emotional realm', and 'ideational realm'."
"Objective realm?"
"Emotional realm?"
"Ideational realm?"
"What are those?"
Clearly, the other person wasn't familiar with these terms and was surprised by them.
Which wasn't surprising.
The objective realm refers to the physical, tangible imagery in the poem; the emotional realm is the feeling conveyed through that imagery; and the ideational realm is the deeper philosophy or insight the poem ultimately expresses.
It sounds complex, but in essence:
'The objective realm is simply observing the thing itself.
The emotional realm is expressing one's feelings through that observation.
The ideational realm is the realization or philosophy drawn from it.
Poetry contains ''three realms'': objective, emotional, and ideational.
This concept was proposed by the famous poet Wang Changling in Huang Yifan's past life.
But in this world, Wang Changling didn't exist, so of course, the other party wouldn't know about the "three realms of poetry."
Huang Yifan explained it simply, then said, "Actually, these three realms don't just apply to modern poetry. They're relevant to classical poems too. In fact, almost all literary works can be analyzed using this model."
"Amazing. Truly impressive."
The other person sent a shocked emoji, then asked, "Excuse me, Professor Huang, may I ask which university you teach Chinese literature at?"
"Uh...?"
Huang Yifan nearly cried. University professor? Bro, I'm still in middle school.
But if he said that, the guy would never believe him. So he replied, "Oh, I'm nowhere near qualified to be a professor. Just a regular literature enthusiast."
"Professor Huang, you're too modest. With your depth of understanding in classical poetry, even most university professors would feel outmatched. Apologies, I've got something to take care of. I'll seek your wisdom another time."
With that, the user went offline. TT finally quieted down. With nothing else to do, Huang Yifan returned to outlining his second web novel.
…
"I have a pearl of great worth, long locked away in worldly toil.
Today, dust cleared, it shines again, its light blooming across rivers and mountains."
So gifted.
Unbelievably gifted.
No, genius doesn't even begin to cover it; this was the level of a true literary master.
On the other end of the screen, a middle-aged man with a square face exclaimed excitedly.
It was none other than Sun Zaian, editor of 'Youth Daily'.
Originally, Sun had planned to recruit Li Luozhi to contribute essays to the paper after the entrance exams, maybe even make her a regular columnist. But instead, she threw out a classmate named Huang Yifan as a shield. Highly skeptical, Sun added him on TT… and was immediately stunned by that ancient-style signature: "I have a pearl of great worth…"
Luckily, Sun Zaian was a seasoned editor. Though shaken by the classical brilliance of that poem, he told himself maybe it was just a one-off flash of genius, not necessarily a sign of great skill. After all, there was also that other poem, 'A Blossoming Tree', which had been just as good.
As Sun tried to calm himself and continue the conversation with Huang Yifan, the man casually dropped a new concept: "the three realms of poetry."
To most, it might've sounded like just another poetic theory. But once Sun listened to the full explanation, he was completely floored.
"Three realms of poetry", just the phrase itself carried the elegance of classical verse.
More importantly, the breakdown of 'objective, emotional,' and 'ideational' realms was far superior to any other literary critique framework he'd encountered. It wasn't just more comprehensive, it was more precise, more profound, more timeless.
This wasn't the work of a mere enthusiast.
Only a ''literary master'' could evaluate poetry at such a level.
Today's poets and critics barely scratched the surface in comparison.
By the end, Sun Zaian was utterly shell-shocked by Huang Yifan.
Was this Luozhi's classmate?
If that kid was just her classmate, then his classmates must've included Confucius himself!
Slapping his forehead, Sun muttered, "I, Sun Zaian, clever for a lifetime, got played by a teenage girl."
Frustrated, he fired off another message to Li Luozhi's TT.
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