The sages in Pre-Qin period generally put a high premium on content (or doctrine), but it does not mean that they did not consider the literariness of the impending formation of literature subconsciously.

• 先秦的哲人们虽然总体上是尚质（尚道）轻文的，但是并没有排除他们对此后即将形成的文学的文学性的思考。