Yuefu is a government agency that manages music. Yue means music, and government means government. This is its original meaning. Yuefu had been established as early as the Qin Dynasty. In 1977, the chime bells unearthed near the tomb of Qin Shihuang had the word "Yuefu" engraved in Qin seals, indicating that such an institution existed in the Qin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, and Yuefu remained as an official office. After large-scale expansion during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Yuefu played an extremely important role in the collection, arrangement, and innovation of music. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also tried to collect folk songs through Yuefu institutions to understand the sentiments of the people. As a result, folk songs that were "feeling sad and happy, and were inspired by events" were preserved one after another. The poems sung by the Yuefu in the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties were originally called "geshi" by the Han people but also "Yuefu", so the so-called Yuefu changed from the name of the institution to the name of a musical poetry style. By the Tang Dynasty, music had been put aside and focused on its social content. For example, Yuan Jie's "Xi Yuefu", Bai Juyi's "New Yuefu", Pi Rixiu's "Zheng Yuefu", etc. were not included in music, but they all called themselves Yuefu. So the so-called Yuefu has once again become a satirical poem criticizing reality. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there were also those who called lyrics and music Yuefu, but they departed from the spiritual essence of Yuefu revealed by the Tang people and only started from the point of entering music.

Court music institutions from Qin, Han to Sui dynasties in China. Later generations also referred to the genre of music literature.

The construction of Yuefu between Qin and Han Dynasty. The construction of Yuefu began in the Qin Dynasty. It stood side by side with "Taiyue" and was under the control of the inner court. According to the "Book of Han·Hundred Officials and Officials List" and the First Emperor's 1977 A silver-wrapped "Yuefu" bell unearthed from the mausoleum. Liu Xie of the Liang Dynasty, Yan Shigu of the Tang Dynasty, Guo Maoqian and Zheng Qiao of the Song Dynasty, all based on the "Book of Han Rites and Music Zhi" that "the ceremony of Emperor Wu's sacrifice in the suburbs... was to set up a Yuefu, collect poems and recite them at night", and regarded "it was to set up a Yuefu" "Explained as the original construction of Yuefu. King Yinglin of the Song Dynasty and He Zhuo of the Qing Dynasty raised objections based on historical data from the second year of Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. In fact, "Historical Records·Yue Shu" and Jia Yi's "New Book" also have records about Yuefu before Emperor Wu. Today, people believe that Yuefu was founded in the Qin Dynasty and was followed in the early Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Yuefu, which should be interpreted as a large-scale expansion of Yuefu institutions. (Yuefu Zhongqin)

Emperor Ai dismissed Yuefu officials and Taiyue Yuefu between the Jin and Sui Dynasties. In 7 BC, Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty abolished Yuefu officials and issued an edict: "He dismissed Yuefu officials; suburban sacrifice music and ancient military art Wu music, in the classics, is not the music of Zheng and Wei, and the music belongs to other officials." There are two explanations for this historical fact: "stop (stop)" and "province (streamline organization)." "Hanshu·Liyuezhi" clearly states: After the reduction of Yuefu employees at that time, the remaining 47% were merged into Taile organization. During the Jin and Sui Dynasties, there was the name "Taiyue Yuefu"; in "Book of Sui·Music Records", Zheng Yiyue discussed the issues of "three tones combined with violence" and "three tones obediently". It was formerly called Yuefu and was renamed Taiyue. It can be seen that Yuefu and Taile were still the same institution during this period. In the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the Taiyue Department, there was no Yuefu name, and there were additional teaching workshops and Liyuan. Thereafter there were no more Yuefu Institutional facilities.

The relationship between Yuefu and elegant and vulgar music. In the early Han Dynasty, Yuefu ordered Xiahou Kuan to "prepare his flutes and pipes" for "An Shiyue". It was a ceremonial activity of elegant music, and its music was actually the basis of folk music at that time. "Chu Sheng". During the reign of Emperor Wu, Li Yannian even used a large number of folk music to engage in suburban ritual activities. Taiyue Yuefu during the Jin and Sui Dynasties used "Qing Shang rhythm". By the Tang Dynasty, the Taiyue Administration still managed both elegant and popular music. These historical facts show that before the Middle Ages, there was no strict boundary between elegance and vulgarity between Taiyue or Yuefu as music institutions and the music they managed. Taiyue or Yuefu is a palace institution, and the types of music it handles are often related to the monarch's likes and dislikes. Promising entrepreneurs among the monarchs, such as Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, were all open-minded and not limited to elegance and vulgarity. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was biased, but the "Chinese Right Voice" he advocated was actually The "Qing Shang Music" in the Southern Dynasties was nothing more than the secular music of the previous generation being replaced by elegant music. Wang Yunxi's "Yuefu Poetry Series" believes that the theory of two separate divisions, Taiyue is in charge of elegant music and Yuefu is in charge of secular music, is a reflection of the different thoughts of elegance and vulgarity after the Song Dynasty. In fact, the system of descendants is used to infer the past.

Yuefu and Yuefu Poetry It has become a common practice in the historical materials of music literature to refer to Yuefu as Yuefu Poetry. The most common use of this term is Liang Liu Xie's "Wenxin Diaolong·Yuefu No. 7". In the Song Dynasty, Guo Maoqian compiled "Yuefu Poetry Collection" and used the word "Yuefu" to summarize Yue's poems. Even later, some literati would call the unmusical poems, lyrics, and music that adapted the lyrics style "Yuefu", which was a confusion of nouns.

The Yuefu Poetry of the Two Han Dynasties The Yuefu Poetry of the Two Han Dynasties has become a new model of ancient Chinese poetry with its ingenious three-dimensional meaning, superb narrative skills, and flexible and diverse system. "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" describes the Yuefu poems of the Western Han Dynasty and writes: "Since Xiaowu established himself in the Yuefu, he collected songs, so there were the praises of Dai and Zhao, and the styles of Qin and Chu. They were all affected by sorrow and music, and they were inspired by events. "The Yuefu poems of the two Han Dynasties are all inspired by the creative subject and have strong pertinence. What inspired the author of Yuefu poems to create enthusiasm and inspiration were specific events in life. Yuefu poems also expressed mostly sensitive issues that people generally care about, telling the pain and happiness, love and hate of that era, as well as the life and death of life. manner.

Classification of Yuefu poems During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, some old Yuefu poems were still in use, and a considerable number of Yuefu poems from the Han and Han Dynasties were circulated inside and outside the imperial court. There were some collections of ancient Yuefu poems in the Six Dynasties, mainly Yuefu poems of the two Han dynasties. By the time Liang Shenyu compiled the "Six Books", his "Yuefu" contained especially many Yuefu poems of the two Han dynasties.

Guo Maoqian of the Song Dynasty compiled "Collection of Yuefu Poems", which collected Yuefu poems from the Han to the Tang Dynasty. It was divided into 12 categories: Suburban Temple Songs, Yanshe Songs, Advocating Songs, Hengchuang Songs, Xianghe Songs, Qing Shang Songs Song lyrics, dance music lyrics, Qin music lyrics, miscellaneous song lyrics, modern music lyrics, miscellaneous song lyrics, and new Yuefu lyrics. The Yuefu poems of the Han Dynasty are mainly preserved in suburban temple songs, drum music, Xianghe songs and miscellaneous ballads, among which the Xianghe songs have the largest number.