Abstract:

According to LIU Xie, changes of literary development in the past were substantially attributed to mutual quantitative changes between literary forms and contents that led to literary progress or decline.Specifically speaking, before the period of Shang and Zhou dynasties literature was in a progressive course, and after that it began its history of decline.It might be said that literary developments of form and content culminated in the period of Shang and Zhou.However, there was no absolute balance between form and content.Undoubtedly, the period of Shang and Zhou was virtually a turning point towards superiority of form over content.

Key words: LIU Xie, literary development, mutual change between form and content, peak, turning point