The ''Short Biography of Li He'' () is the earliest surviving record of the life of the Chinese poet

Li He Li He ( – ) was a Chinese poet of the mid-Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Changji, and he is also known as Guicai and Shigui. He was prevented from taking the imperial examination due to a naming taboo. He died very young, and was note ...

( – ). It was compiled by the poet

Li Shangyin Li Shangyin (, 813858), courtesy name Yishan (), was a Chinese poet and politician of the late Tang dynasty, born in the Henei Commandery (now Qinyang, Henan). He is noted for the imagist quality of his poems and his "no title" () style of poet ...

Du Mu Du Mu (; 803–852) was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, and politician who lived during the late Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi (), and art name Fanchuan (). He is best known for his lyrical and romantic quatrains. Regarded as a majo ...

's preface to the collected poems of Li He, which predates the ''Short Biography'', was compiled in 831, but it contains almost no biographical details on Li. Other, later, biographies are given in chapter 137 of the ''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'' and chapter 203 of the ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

''.

The work opens with an allusion to Du Mu's preface, and contrasts the "curiosity" of Li's poetry as discussed by Du Mu with the actual account of the man Li which the ''Short Biography'' purports to give. The opening passages also make a claim to being based on an account of Li given by his elder sister. The work's physical description of Li ("skinny, unibrow, long fingernails") resembles that given to

Taoist immortals ''Xian'' () refers to a person or similar entity having a long life or being immortal. The concept of ''xian'' has different implications dependent upon the specific context: philosophical, religious, mythological, or other symbolic or cultural ...

in hagiographies such as the ''

Liexian Zhuan The ''Liexian Zhuan'', sometimes translated as ''Biographies of Immortals'', is the oldest extant Chinese hagiography of Daoist ''xian'' "transcendents; immortals; saints; alchemists". The text, which compiles the life stories of about 70 mytholog ...

''. The ''Short Biography'' goes on to discuss Li's poetic composition and his friendships with the renowned poet

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...

, Wang Shenyuan (王參元/王参元), Yang Jingzhi (楊敬之/杨敬之), Quan Qu (權璩/权璩) and

Cui Zhi Cui Zhi () (772 – March 2, 829''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 1.), courtesy name Gongxiu (公修), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of the Emperor Muzong. Both he and his cousin Cui Ling ...

Analysis

Japanese scholar Hidenobu Wada speculates this was included not only to lend the work an air of credibility as coming from someone who knew the subject intimately, but also to tell the reader that the work would be an account of the "private" as opposed to "public" life of the poet. He attributes it to this reason, for example, that the ''Short Biography'' completely neglects the notorious incident in which Li was prevented from pursuing a public service career because of a naming taboo, which saw Li famously defended by Han Yu. Wada further speculates that Wang Shenyuan, who was the younger brother of Li Shangyin's father-in-law Wang Maoyuan (王茂元), was the husband of Li He's sister.

References

Works cited

* * * * {{cite journal , last = Wada , first = Hidenobu , date = 28 April 2001 , title = Ri Ga to iu shijin-zō: Ri Shōin 'Ri Ga Shō Den' to Ri Ga no monogatari , language = Japanese , journal = Ochanomizu Joshi Daigaku Daigaku Chūgoku Bungaku Kaihō , volume = 20 , issue = 1 , pages = 50–68 , publisher =

Ochanomizu University is a women's university in the Ōtsuka neighborhood of Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Ochanomizu University is one of the top national universities in Japan. Ochanomizu is the name of a Tokyo neighborhood where the university was founded. Hi ...

, oclc = , url = http://teapot.lib.ocha.ac.jp/ocha/handle/10083/1061 , access-date = 2017-09-17 Chinese biographies Tang dynasty literature

Contents

Analysis

References

Works cited