The teacher is covering the origins of yuefu today.
Tips
history
Originally the imperial Music Bureau established by Emperor Wu of Han (c. 112 BCE) to collect folk songs. The word then came to refer to the narrative folk-song poetry that bureau collected, including the Ballad of Mulan.
culture
Distinct from the later 近体诗 (regulated verse) in being free-form and closer to oral tradition. A core genre in any classical Chinese literature course.
