Chen Shou commented on Cao Cao: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and heroes and heroes emerged together. However, Yuan Shao looked at the four states and was powerful and invincible. Taizu planned and plotted, whipped Yu Nei, and used the magic of Shen and Shang. Han and Bai's unique strategies were given by the government, and each had their own tools. They were free to calculate, and did not care about the old evil. They were able to defeat the emperor's plan and conquer the great industry. However, his strategy was the best, and he could be said to be an extraordinary person. He is an outstanding minister. A treacherous minister, and an outstanding person among treacherous ministers. The words "ruling the world" and "turbulent times" are both used as nouns, but both "ruling the world" and "turbulent times" fully affirm Cao Cao's ability. The times we live in are troubled times, so according to this interpretation, Cao Cao is a "treacherous hero". Second, Cao Cao is a capable minister who governs the country and is also a traitor who disrupts the country. The verbs "ruling the world" and "turbulent times" are used here. This explanation also affirms Cao Cao's ability, but denies the justice of Cao Cao's career, pointing out that he is not a purely capable minister, and also has the destructive effect of disrupting the country. Compared with historical facts, Cao Cao was in the late Han Dynasty. Although he contributed to the unification of the country during the chaos, he was also guilty of disrupting the country and destroying society. Although the above two explanations are different, they both deny Cao Cao's "heroic" side. The justice of Cao Cao's career is not enough to be called "Ying" (justice). Of course, the term "treacherous minister" alone is not enough to cover Cao Cao's characteristics. There are many traitorous ministers in history, and Cao Cao is the outstanding one among the traitorous ministers. People are much stronger than those robbers with open flames and sticks, but their nature is no different. The two terms of hero and traitor both focus on one aspect and ignore the other. Heroes focus on "hero" (ability). Without justice, traitors have no outstanding ability. Therefore, we say "treacherous hero" is the best evaluation of Cao Cao, which not only affirms Cao Cao's ability but also makes a judgment on the injustice of his career. The main reason for bias is that if the dynasty is stable, the focus on a person's ability is relatively minor, and the most important thing is the person's loyalty. At this time, Cao Cao's reputation as a traitor will prevail. In troubled times, especially successful people, they pay special attention to people's abilities, and even want to raise their evaluation of abilities to a moral level. This is why later generations' evaluation of Cao Cao is uncertain.

Chen Shou: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and heroes and heroes emerged together. However, Yuan Shaohu conquered the four states and was powerful and invincible. Taizu planned and plotted, whipped Yunei, and adopted the magic of Shen and Shang, which was worthy of Han and Bai. With his unique strategies and talents given by the government, he can be calculated according to his pretensions and disregard his past evils. He can finally defeat the emperor's plan and conquer the great industry. However, he can be said to be an extraordinary person and a transcendent figure. " ——"Book of Wei"

Sun Quan commented on Cao Cao: "It is too bad to kill the small ones, and it is considered cruel to alienate people's flesh and blood. There have been few imperial generals since ancient times."

Wang Chen : Taizu had been in the army for more than thirty years, and he never let go of books. The book talks about military strategies, and the night is spent thinking about the classics. When you climb high, you must write poems and compose new poems, which will be orchestrated and turned into music. ——"Book of Wei"

Zhong Rong: Mr. Cao is an upright man with very sad words. ——"Poetry"

Pei Songzhi commented on Cao Cao: "According to ancient and modern books, Cao Cao was the most corrupt, cruel, cruel and unruly minister." ——"Three Kingdoms (Note)"

Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said about Cao Cao: "In times of danger, he makes changes and anticipates the enemy's surprises. One general has more than enough wisdom, but ten thousand times have insufficient talent."

Tang Xuanzong often compares himself to "Aha".

Yuan Zhen commented on Cao Cao: "This is the beginning of Cao Cao's usurpation." - "Dong Fuxing"

Liu Zhiji commented on Cao Cao: "The sins caused by Baitian Chang are caused by Wang Mang. "——"Shi Tong·Tan Zhi"

Lu Xun said: "Cao Cao is at least a hero."