Abstract：Zhen （admonition） was an ancient genre dated back to the early Western Zhou Dynasty. It evolved from the then official documents, and thus was a product of ancient political and cultural development. The standard text of Zhen is ＂Admonition to the Yu People＂ handed down from the early Western Zhou Dynas- ty. Up to the late Qing Dynasty, Zhen never lacked writers except for some time in the period of Warring States. In its long history, it had evolved from official document to private admonition, even those written by kings. Despite its limited application, this practical genre was adopted by such writers as Yang Xiong of Han Dynasty. From then on down through the Six Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty, the masterpieces of Zhen were mostly created by writers who added literary elements to it and made this type of writing overflowing with literariness and thus appreciable enough.
2009, Vol. 11 
