Historians usually divide the social history of the Tang Dynasty into two periods, one is before and after the An-Shi Rebellion which broke out in Tianbao, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. However, on the one hand, the development of Tang poetry is in balance with the ups and downs of social politics and economy in Tang Dynasty. On the other hand, Tang poetry, as a literary form that shows the spiritual mystery of the Tang poets and the cultural and spiritual value orientation of the Tang Dynasty, is inconsistent with the ups and downs of social politics and economy in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, according to the special situation of the development of Tang poetry, scholars of Tang poetry history used to divide it into four periods: early Tang, prosperous Tang, middle Tang and late Tang.

Early Tang Dynasty: 6 18 to 7 12, which generally refers to the period from the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the first year of Xuanzong;

Prosperous Tang Dynasty: 7 13 to 755 AD, generally referring to the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years of Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty;

Mid-Tang Dynasty: from 756 to 824 AD, it generally refers to the four years from Tang Suzong to Deyuanzai to Tang Muzong Changqing;

Late Tang Dynasty: A.D. 825-907, generally referring to the period from the year of Bao Liyuan in Tang Jingzong to the fourth year of Emperor Zhao Xuandi in Tang Dynasty.

The four Tang Dynasties originated in stages from Cang Shi Lang Dialect written by Yan Yu in the Southern Song Dynasty. After Fang Hui's interpretation in the Yuan Dynasty, it was recorded in Yang Shihong's Tang Yin in the Yuan Dynasty and completed in Gao Yun's Tang Poetry Collection in the Ming Dynasty.