The Luoshen fu (洛神赋) is Cao Zhi’s best-known work. In it, the poet meets the goddess of the Luo River; the piece combines elaborate description with a tone of longing and loss. It has been interpreted as a reflection on Cao Zhi’s relationship with his brother Cao Pi or on unfulfilled ambition, though it is often read simply as a literary masterpiece.
The fu is a landmark of Jian’an literature and has influenced later poetry, painting, and drama. It appears in the Wenxuan (Selections of Refined Literature) and remains a standard text in the Chinese literary canon.