南北朝時期，因政權長期分裂，使得南北雙方的社會與文化差異愈大。在文學方面，南朝文學較注重聲律之諧調與辭藻之華美，北朝文學則較重視內容之紮實，強調風格之質直剛健，於實用性之文章表現較為凸出。當時透過雙方使節相互聘問，以及因各種政治因素，羈留北方的文士，所帶來的文化刺激，引發北方文人對南朝文學的群起學習，北朝文學受到南朝駢儷綺靡文風之影響日深。但是北朝自孝文帝以後，在文化上極力爭取正統地位，北朝文人在受到南方文風的影響，另一方面也強調獨立創造能力，企圖建立北方文學之主體性，甚至陸續出現各種革除流弊的大動作。這兩次的文學改革行動雖都未竟全功，卻是反省與修正華靡文風的重要嘗試過程，為唐代文學改革運動提供了寶貴的經驗。

In the Chinese period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, because north and south regime is split for a long time, make the societies and cultural differences of both sides great. In literature, relatively pay attention to the harmony of the sound and beauty of the diction in literature in the Southern Dynasties, the ones that relatively paid attention to the content towards literature in the north are substantial, emphasize the practicability of the vigorous and article of the style. At that time, the envoy in the Southern Dynasties and writer fleeing from a calamity to the North brought culture amazingly. It causes a lot of northern writers to studying literature in the Southern Dynasties. Literature in the north were Affected by beautiful literature style in the Southern Dynasties deeper and deeper. But, since Xiao-Wen King in period the North Dynasty try very hard for orthodox culture status. Influenced by southern literature style towards the writer in the north, they emphasize one's own creation ability. They attempt to set up the entity of northern literature, even is engaged in various kinds of actions of expelling the drawback. Certainly, take action and has not succeeded in reform of these literature two times. But they are important tries which revise the beautiful literature style. They have offered valuable experience for literature reform of the Tang Dynasty.