Bai Juyi
Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; Chinese: 白居易; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as governor of three different provinces. He achieved fame as a writer of verse in a low-key, near vernacular style that was popular throughout medieval East Asia.
Bai Juyi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Portrait of Bai Juyi by Chen Hongshou | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 772 Xinzheng, Henan, China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 846 (aged 73–74) Xiangshan Temple, Longmen (Luoyang), Henan, China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Musician, poet, politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Bai Acui (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Bai Huang (grandfather) Bai Jigeng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 白居易 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Letian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 樂天 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 乐天 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Xiangshan Jushi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 香山居士 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Householder of Mount Xiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 백거이 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 白居易 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 白居易 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | はく きょい | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bai was also influential in the historical development of Japanese literature, where he is better known by the on'yomi reading of his courtesy name, Haku Rakuten (shinjitai: 白楽天). His younger brother Bai Xingjian was a short story writer.
Among his most famous works are the long narrative poems "Chang Hen Ge" ("Song of Everlasting Sorrow"), which tells the story of Yang Guifei, and "Pipa xing" ("Song of the Pipa").