The Fu as a form of literary writing went through a long and twisted course of growth. The word "Fu" meant the action of collecting and later was extended to mean the promulgation or statement of government policies in the Zhou Dynasty. With the downfall of the West Zhou Dynasty, this form of Fu politics filtrated into political and diplomatic life of the dependent kingdoms, which showed itself in form of singing poems to express personal aspiration. In the course of evolution, separated from accompanying music, the Fu mainly took form of oral-extolling description and gradually grew into a novel form of literature after absorbing the advantages of diverse forms of literary writing in the pre-Qin times.

Fu-style literature; style of literary writing; pre-Qin literature; extolment