Ma Zhiyuan was a poet in the Yuan Dynasty.

Ma Zhiyuan, also known as Dongli, was born in Dadu and was an opera writer, sanquist and essayist in the Yuan Dynasty. Together with Guan Hanqing, Zheng Guangzu and Bai Pu, they are known as the "Four Masters of Yuan Opera". Ma Zhiyuan was born into a wealthy and well-educated family. When he was young, he was keen on seeking fame. It seems that he once presented a poem to Prince Bor Jijin Zhenjin and became an official because of it.

In terms of opera creation, Ma Zhiyuan has experienced a transition from Confucianism to Taoism in his musical thoughts. His Sanqu creation is characterized by rich and profound ideological content and superb artistic skills. His Zaju creation has a tendency to become Sanqu. The beauty of the coexistence of reality and reality. During the Dade period, Ma Zhiyuan, who had spent half a lifetime, probably understood that "the West Village is the best place to live in seclusion", so he began to live in seclusion in his later years. During his seclusion, Ma Zhiyuan had a relationship with Lu Zhi.

Ma Zhiyuan’s creative characteristics

Ma Zhiyuan received Confucian education since childhood, read poetry and books, studied six arts diligently, followed rituals and music, and had a special liking for the art of guqin. Confucian rituals and music thoughts are in He played a major role in his early musical life. After middle age, Ma Zhiyuan's musical thoughts experienced a transformation from Confucianism to Taoism. At that time, Ma Zhiyuan specialized in the creation of Zaju and Sanqu. Whether it was a Sanqu that expressed feelings about the world or a Zaju that transformed gods into Taoists, they all revealed obvious Taoist thoughts of retreat.

Ma Zhiyuan's Sanqu thoughts are rich in content, involving themes such as chanting history, sighing about the world, retreating into seclusion, friendship, and narrative in Yuan Sanqu. Each has its own achievements, which expands the scope of Sanqu themes. In his works of chanting history and remembering the past, Ma Zhiyuan expresses his views on life, reality, and history by evaluating the merits and demerits of the ancients. He expresses his own aspirations, pays more attention to the value of life, allows himself to do as he pleases, and returns to nature.