Du Fu 's work is notable above all for its range . Chinese critics traditionally used the term 集大成 ( jídàchéng- " complete symphony " ) , a reference to Mencius ' description of Confucius . Yuan Zhen was the first to note the breadth of Du Fu 's achievement , writing in 813 that his predecessor , " united in his work traits which previous men had displayed only singly " . He mastered all the forms of Chinese poetry : Chou says that in every form he " either made outstanding advances or contributed outstanding examples " . Furthermore , his poems use a wide range of registers , from the direct and colloquial to the allusive and self @-@ consciously literary . This variety is manifested even within individual works : Owen identifies the , " rapid stylistic and thematic shifts " in poems which enable the poet to represent different facets of a situation , while Chou uses the term " juxtaposition " as the major analytical tool in her work . Du Fu is noted for having written more on poetics and painting than any other writer of his time . He wrote eighteen poems on painting alone , more than any other Tang poet . Du Fu 's seemingly negative commentary on the prized horse paintings of Han Gan ignited a controversy that has persisted to the present day .