A poem expresses aspirations in one's heart. Zhi (志) here means the author's
aspirations, emotions, and thoughts. The concept of "poetry expressing
aspirations," first seen in the Confucian classic The Book of History, was hailed
by Zhu Ziqing as the "manifesto" of Chinese poetry. Enriched by poetry critics
through the generations, it was later established as a basic concept in Chinese
literary criticism.