"Ge" is the pursuit of the overall aesthetic characteristics of literature. In addition, Li Mengyang also attached importance to "sound"-mainly referring to the harmony and perfection of poetic tone. In addition, he also put forward some subtle writing methods, such as "talk to any book again" and "those who are sparse before must be dense, and those who are half wide must be thin; Real people must be empty, and those who fold the scenery must have two meanings. " And so on. To sum up, these are collectively called "laws". At that time, this emphasis on the aesthetic characteristics and artistic skills of literature played an important role in promoting the independence of literature and decoupling it from Tao (for example, Song Lian and others emphasized the integration of literature and Tao, and condemned the exploration of literary forms and skills in order to maintain the exclusive position of Tao).
However, although he said, "In my opinion, talk about the affairs of present people and ignore their words" ("Refuting He Zawen"), it shows that he does not advocate rigid imitation of the ancients, and the requirements of the so-called "big and small ancient laws" actually have a great negative impact. Thought and emotion are the most active factors in literature, which need constant adjustment and change of literary language form. Emphasizing "ancient law" and summarizing a set of schemes in vocabulary, image, tone and structure will inevitably become a formal package. Many of Li Mengyang's poems really give people a sense of deja vu.