HAN Yu's
Maoyingzhuan (A Biography of Maoying) is not the author's complaint over his own sad experience that he had no opportunity
to use his talents, nor is an expose of the personal dispute in official circles. It conveys HAN Yu's understanding of what the monarch should do to treat his ministers with propriety when the ministers are too old to serve him. HAN Yu's understanding is different from that of BAI Ju-yi and PEI Du. The difference shows the divergence of political views among the scholar-officials in Yuanhe period. The humorous and satire style of this essay comes from a special narrative
technique which is characteristic of letting knickknack to mimic a person who acts in a dignified way. This narrative technique does not cater to the literary taste which was popular during the period from mid-Tang to the Five Dynasties. Most of the negative criticism on this article appeared in this period. From Song dynasty, Han Yu had won great respect and the attitude toward this article had become positive.