The term Three Caos specifically refers to Cao Cao and his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280).

Cao Cao

Cao Cao (155-220) was a very famous man in Chinese history. He defeated other men of power in the chaotic years by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220)and unified northern China. This clearly manifested his distinguished political and military ability.

Cao Cao was versed at literature, handwriting and music. He showed great ambitions in his poems, of which around 20 pieces can be found today. His verse, mostly of tetrasyllabic lines, bears a rich political flavor and is brimming over with power and enterprise, as is shown in his Gazing Out Across the Ocean.

Cao Pi

Cao Pi (187-226) is a poet and critic who was the second son and heir of the de facto ruler Cao Cao. After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi ruled as Emperor Wen of the Wei Dynasty. His essay on literature, Lun Wen, established him as a major figure in the history of Chinese literature. He was the elder brother of the poet Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi

Cao Zhi (AD 192-232), the third son of Cao Cao and Prince Si of Chen, is widely acknowledged as the most accomplished writer and poet of the Jian'an era, and his surviving works surpass that of the other writers of the time in both number and quality.

Cao Zhi's literary talents showed at a young age. When he was still in his teens, he had already learnt many books and essays by heart, totaling a hundred thousand lines of text. Once, Cao Cao took all his sons up to the newly completed Bronze Sparrow Pavilion, and ordered each one of them to write an ode on it. Cao Zhi picked up the writing brush and composed such a beautiful poem on the spot, that Cao Cao and all those who were present were greatly amazed.