The document summarizes the "Seven Step Poem," an allegorical tale attributed to Cao Zhi from the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. It describes the conflict between Cao Zhi and his brother Cao Pi over succeeding their father Cao Cao as emperor. Cao Pi was afraid of Cao Zhi's ambitions and threatened to execute him. Cao Zhi's mother begged for his life, and Cao Pi said he would spare Cao Zhi if he could compose a poem in seven steps. Cao Zhi recited the poem, which urged unity between family members over strife. Cao Pi was moved to tears and spared his brother's life. The poem serves as a metaphor for avoiding conflict and maintaining unity, which was important

1. The Seven Step Poem
By: Jordan Barrett
Mrs. LaFon’s 5th period

2. Seven Step Poem
Shi Huang was the emperor who united China.
He did good and bad things in his lifetime. (259210 B.C.)

3. The first good thing he did was to build, then bury the
pottery army instead of burying his real soldiers.

4. The second good thing Qin Shi Huang did was build the
Great Wall of China.

5. The third thing that was good was that he united
China for the first time.

6. The first bad thing he did was burning all the books that
weren’t religious.

7. The second bad thing he did was burying more than 400
teachers alive because they didn’t like burning books.

8. After the emperor, Shi Huang, died China split up again
and they had a Civil War.

9. After the Civil War “Three Kingdoms” were left. Cao Cao
was the emperor of one of those Kingdoms.

10. Cao Cao was born in 155 A.D. and died in 220 A.D. He
had two sons, but didn’t name either of them the new
emperor and didn’t leave a will. So the older son
became emperor. His name was Cao- Pi.

11. Cao-Zhi was the younger brother. Cao-Pi was afraid his
brother wanted to be emperor. He was also mad that
Cao-Zhi did not attend their father’s funeral.

12. Cao-Pi was going to arrest him then execute him, when
his mother came in and begged Cao-Pi not to execute
Cao-Zhi. Cao-Pi told his mother he would not hurt him if
he made up a poem in JUST seven steps.

13. Seven Step Poem
Then Cao-Zhi started to recite the poem he thought
in his head.

14. Cao-Pi realized that it was not a good thing to
fight with his brother and started crying. After he
finshed crying he let his brother live.
THANK YOU ALL FOR WATCHING!

15. Instructor’s background note
The Seven Steps Poem is an allegorical tale which can be understood as containing two closely related extended metaphors.
Although attributed to Cao Zhi (c. 192–232), it is doubtful he actually wrote the poem. It was first attributed to him almost two
hundred years after his death by Liu Yiqing in “A New Account of the Tales of the World.” This was a compilation made in about
430 A.D. consisting of over 1,300 popular historical stories, poems, and anecdotes.
Still, there is ample contemporary documentation to establish that the principle characters of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Zhi were
historically real. So, too, was the bitter rivalry of the two brothers to succeed their father Cao Cao. Once he became emperor Cao
Pi persistently checked the younger brother’s political ambitions by frequently ordering his transfer and denying him preferred
advisors.
All three – Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and their father Cao Cao – were composers of Jian'an style poetry characteristic of the era. It is well
documented that in his day Cao Zhi was widely regarded as the leading poet of that style. Indeed, Cao Cao at one time was so
impressed by the younger brother’s poetic skill that he seriously considered naming him as his successor emperor.
The more obvious metaphor of the poem likens the conflict between the two brothers to the plight of beans from the same parent
“stalk” thrown into a pot. The line “Why are you now burning us?” implicitly urges unity between family members rather than strife.
A more subtle metaphor may be understood as referring to the so-called “Period of Disunity” following the collapse of the Han
Dynasty in 220 A.D. This became in effect a protracted civil war, first among various warlords,and later between the emperors of
the “Three Kingdoms” of Wu, Wei, and Shu. The period of disunity ended with decline and fall of Wei in 265 A.D. and the
emergence of the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420 A.D. )
Ancient Chinese history is marked by the rise and fall of several dynasties interspersed by periods of civil war and disunity. For
younger students the tale of the “Seven Steps Poem” is a memorable way to illustrate that over-arching theme.
SEE NEXT SLIDE FOR REFERENCES

16. Useful Academic References:
1. David R. Knechtges and Taiping Chang, Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature, Vol. 1, Leiden and Boston: Brill (2010).
2. Fusheng Wu, Written at Imperial Command; Panegyric Poetry in early Medieval China, Albany: State University of New York
Press ( 2008).
3. Hans H Frankel, “Fifteen Poems by Cao Zhi: An Attempt at a New Approach, “ 84 Journal of the American Oriental Society 1
(1964).