Song Ruoshen (; 768–820), sometimes misspelled Song Ruoxin, was a Chinese Confucian scholar and poet. She was the eldest of five sisters, who all became employed as official poets at the Imperial court: Song Ruozhao,

Song Ruoxian Song Ruoxian (, 772–835), was a Chinese Confucian scholar and poet. She was one of five sisters, who all became employed as official poets at the Imperial court: Song Ruoshen (; 768–820), Song Ruozhao, Song Ruoxian, Song Ruolun () and Song ...

(, 772–835), Song Ruolun () and Song Ruoxun ().https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0093349 She was the daughter of the scholar Song Tingfen in

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

and was given advanced education by her father. In 788, she and her sisters were all taken to court to be tested about their knowledge within Confucianism, History and the Classics. They excelled and each were given an office at court. They were employed as official court poets, performing their poetry at court festivities. Song and her sisters were highly respected at court, referred to by the emperor as teacher-scholars and never treated as concubines. In 791, Song was given charge of the office of accounts and books. She also wrote a book about female morality.

References

* Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Sue Wiles: Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618–1644 {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Ruoshen 768 births 820 deaths 8th-century Chinese poets 9th-century Chinese poets Chinese courtiers 8th-century Chinese women writers 9th-century Chinese women writers Chinese women poets 8th-century Chinese women 8th-century Chinese people 9th-century Chinese women 9th-century Chinese people