Lu Zhaolin (; ca. 634 – ca. 684 or 686),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Shengzhi, was a

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

Chinese poet, traditionally grouped together with

Luo Binwang Luo Binwang (, ca. 619–684?), courtesy name Guanguang (觀光/观光), was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. His family was from Wuzhou, modern Yiwu, Zhejiang, but he was raised in Shandong. Luo is grouped with Lu Zhaolin, Wang Bo, and ...

, Wang Bo, and

Yang Jiong Yang Jiong (; 650–695?) was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, traditionally grouped together with Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, and Wang Bo as the Four Paragons of the Early Tang. Known for his eight extant ''fu'' (rhapsody) poems, he also wrote an in ...

as the

Four Paragons of the Early Tang The Four Paragons of the Early Tang () is a group name for four Chinese poets of the early Tang dynasty: Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, Wang Bo, and Yang Jiong. {{multiple image , align = right , direction = horizontal , header = Four Paragons of the ...

Biography

Lu Zhaolin was born in Fanyang (near present-day

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

). He studied under Cao Xian (曹憲; fl. 605–649), the master of '' Wen Xuan'' studies, and Wang Yifang (王義方; 615–669), a famous scholar of the

Chinese classics Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confuci ...

. He worked in the archive of Prince Li Yuanyu (died 665), the seventeenth son of the founding Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty. Lu was known for his erudition, and was said to have exhaustively studied the large collection of books in the prince's library. In 666, he was a member of the entourage of Emperor Gaozong on the imperial pilgrimage to

Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the '' Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being ...

. Soon afterwards, Lu was appointed the county defender of

Xindu Xindu District () is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, Southwest China, covering part of the northern suburbs. Overview The Xindu District borders the prefecture-level city of D ...

in Shu province (modern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

). He later suffered a debilitating disease, probably

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are invol ...

, which eventually crippled him. The disability forced him to resign from his post, and he became a disciple of the renowned doctor and alchemist Sun Simiao, living on

Mount Taibai Mount Taibai () is a mountain located on the border between Mei, Taibai and Zhouzhi counties in the south west of Shaanxi Province, China. The mount's highest point, Baxian Tower (), rises to a height of and is the tallest in the Qinling Range ...

and in the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...

. He adopted the alternative name (''hao'') of Youyouzi (幽憂子), or "Master of Shrouded Sorrow". He committed suicide by drowning himself in the

Ying River The Ying River () is the largest tributary of the Huai River with its origin in Henan Province, People's Republic of China. From Zhoukou City in Henan the river flows through Fuyang City in Anhui Province then empties into the Huai River at Zh ...

circa 684 or 686, after years of suffering.

Poetry

Like the other three "paragons" of the early Tang, Lu Zhaolin was capable of composing the highly mannered poetry that was fashionable in the Tang court. However, his work outside the court allowed him significant freedom in his style. Lu was best known for his ''qilü'', or ballads of seven-character lines, such as "Chang'an: Ancient Theme", but his most remarkable works are poems expressing his personal suffering, such as "Five Sorrows" and "Resolving Sickness", which were written in the style of

Li Sao "''Li Sao''" (; translation: "Encountering Sorrow") is an ancient Chinese poem from the anthology '' Chuci'' traditionally attributed to Qu Yuan. ''Li Sao'' dates from the late 3rd century BCE, during the Chinese Warring States period. Backgro ...

of the ''

Songs of Chu The ''Chu ci'', variously translated as ''Verses of Chu,'' ''Songs of Chu'', or ''Elegies of Chu'', is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry including works traditionally attributed mainly to Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Warring States period ...

''. Lu was the only medieval poet to successfully revive the ''sao'' style of the ancient poet

Qu Yuan Qu Yuan ( – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet and politician in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the '' ...

; and just like Qu Yuan, he chose to end his tragic life by drowning himself.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Zhaolin Tang dynasty poets 7th-century Chinese poets 634 births 680s deaths Suicides by drowning in China Poets from Beijing Lu clan of Fanyang Suicides in the Tang dynasty