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Mei Yaochen

1002 – 1060

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About Mei Yaochen

Lived 1002 – 1060 (aged 57). Mei Yaochen was a Chinese poet and list of Chinese language poets.

Mei Yaochen (; May 31, 1002 – May 27, 1060) was a Chinese poet of the Song dynasty. He was one of the pioneers of the "new subjective" style of poetry which characterized Song poetry.

Mei Yaochen was born in Xuancheng in present-day Anhui Province. His style name was 'Sheng Yu' . He passed the jinshi exam in 1051 and had a career in the civil service, but was unsuccessful. He was a prolific poet, with around 3000 works extant; he was popularized as a poet by the younger Ouyang Xiu.

Most of his works are in the shi form, but they are much freer in content than those of the Tang dynasty. His response to the impossibility of surpassing the Tang poets was to make a virtue of his lack of ambition; his ideal was 平淡 (pingdan), or the pedestrian. His early verses are often socio-critical, advocating reform along Neo-Confucian lines; later he turned to celebrations of ordinary life and verses mourning the deaths of his first wife and several of his children. An example is his poem translated into English by Kenneth Rexroth as "An Excuse for Not Returning the Visit of a Friend."

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Shengyu, Wanling xiansheng

People in Mei Yaochen's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Mei Yaochen's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mei Yaochen?

poet

When was Mei Yaochen born?

Mei Yaochen was born on 31 May 1002 in Xuancheng.

When did Mei Yaochen die?

Mei Yaochen died on 27 May 1060 in Kaifeng.

What was Mei Yaochen's occupation?

Mei Yaochen was a poet and list of Chinese language poets.

What nationality was Mei Yaochen?

Mei Yaochen was Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mei Yaochen

· Wikidata: Q706779

· DBpedia: Mei Yaochen

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mei Yaochen. https://biography.guide/mei-yaochen/

MLA: "Mei Yaochen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mei-yaochen/.

Chicago: "Mei Yaochen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mei-yaochen/.

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