He Liangjun in Ming Dynasty said in "Four Friends Zhai Cong Shuo": "The Yuefu in Yuan Dynasty called Ma Dongli, Zheng Dehui, Guan Hanqing and Bai Renfu as four famous people." Prior to this, Zhou Deqing in Yuan Dynasty said in the preface to "The Rhyme of Central Plains": "It is difficult to prepare for the prosperity of Yuefu, but it is related to, Zheng, Bai and Ma. A new production. " However, although Zhou Deqing was called four people, he was not named as "four people". In addition, in Jia Zhongming's condolence for Ma Zhiyuan in the early Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that "* * * Yu, Bai, Guan Lao Qi Mei", which meant Yu Jifu. The arrangement and evaluation of these Yuan Qu writers vary from person to person and from time to time.
In Yuan Dynasty, Zhong Sicheng listed Guan Hanqing as the first writer of zaju in Record of Soul, and Jia Zhongming called Guan Hanqing "the leader of the pear garden, the chief editor, and the leader of zaju." However, in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Quan's "Taihe Zhengyin Spectrum" was the first to recommend Ma Zhiyuan, thinking that he was "superior to all the heroes" and regarded Guan Hanqing as "a talented person who can be promoted or demoted".
After the early Ming Dynasty, some praised Zheng Guangzu and belittled the other three schools. For example, He Liangjun's "Four Friends Zhai Cong Shuo" said: "Ma's words are old and healthy, but they are not flattering, while Guan's words are inspiring and less memorable, and those who owe them are quite simple and plain. Zheng should be the first." In Qu Tan, the king of the Qing Dynasty, he thought that "Guan, Bai, Ma and Zheng were all families".
Modern Wang Guowei's History of Song and Yuan Dramas said: "Since the Ming Dynasty, composers in Yuan Dynasty have been called Guan, Ma, Zheng and Bai, but according to their age and accomplishments, it is better to call Guan, Bai, Ma and Zheng. Guan Hanqing leans on the side, and his words are full of human feelings, so he should be the first in Yuan Dynasty. "
Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu, Ma Zhiyuan and Zheng Guangzu represent the achievements of different schools of zaju creation in different periods of the Yuan Dynasty. They are known as the "four masters of the Yuan Dynasty" and have been recognized by history. In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Shizhen, Wang Jide and others criticized Wang Shifu for not being included in the "Four Masters", and Wang Jide also put forward the theory of "Wang, Ma, Guan and Zheng". In Qing Dynasty, Li Tiaoyuan's Yu Cun Qu Hua has the theory of "horse, king, Guan, Qiao (Ji), Zheng and Bai", but it has not been popular.