One day Su Dongpo came upon a officer who was skilled at singing, so he asked, "How do my ci compare with those of Liu Yong?". He replied, "Liu Yong's ci are only suitable for girls of 17 or 18 to sing, holding their ivory clappers and singing 'a river bank covered in willow trees, with the cold breeze before the dawn', the ci of a scholar like yourself requires a great man from West of the Hangu Pass, using a bronze pipa, a pair of iron clappers, singing 'The River Surges Eastward'." Su Dongpo gave a hearty laugh, not knowing how to react.

And what kind of atmosphere is given off by lines from Liu Yong such as, "Trotting slowly on horseback on the ancient streets of Chang'An, with cicadas calling from the tall willows lining the street" and "Passing by many beautiful cliffs along the ravine, into the deepest depths of the river. The roar of the river gradually calms, and a good wind happens to rise, now I hear again the merchants and travelers calling to one another. The sails hoisted high."? In the first half of the ci with the line "a riverbank covered in willow trees with the cold breeze before the dawn" is the line "The evening clouds and mist have gradually gotten thicker, and the sky over Chu is vast and open!". Who can say that this is feminine?