Ch'in Chia
Ch'in Chia (courtesy name: Shih-hui), also known as Qin Jia (c. first century BCfirst century AD), was a Chinese poet of the Eastern Han dynasty.
Also recorded as 秦嘉 · Qin Jia · Shihui
Ch'in Chia
- Name
- Ch'in Chia
- Born
- 1st century BC
- Died
- 1st century AD
- Occupation
- Poet
- Nationality
- China · Eastern Han
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Documentary summary
Ch'in Chia (courtesy name: Shih-hui), also known as Qin Jia (c. first century BCfirst century AD), was a Chinese poet of the Eastern Han dynasty.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ch'in Chia • Born — 1st century BC • Died — 1st century AD • Occupation — Poet • Period — Eastern Han dynasty
Name
Name
The word "Ch'in Chia" means all relations who bear a different family name.
Life
Life
Ch'in Chia came from Lunghsi. He lived during the Eastern Han dynasty, and was a civil servant.
Separation from his wife
Separation from his wife
He was married to Hsu Shu, who was also a poet. They had a very harmonious relationship. When Ch'in Chia was promoted to the post of commandery supervisor at the capital (Luoyang), and summoned to take up an appointment there, his wife fell ill and had to stay at home with her parents. He was therefore unable to say goodbye to her personally, and sent her a series of three poems instead, entitled "Poems for My Wife". Hsu Shu, in her turn, responded by sending him poems of her own, maintaining a loving correspondence, of which the following is a sample: Alas! I wish I were your shadow and Never to be separated from your dear self. I still hope you will enjoy the capital And do not feel too unhappy for my sake.
Poetry
Poetry
Ch'in Chia's first poem to his wife expresses his sorrow at their separation, and longing for reunion:
Legacy and influence
A 1968 edition of China Today explains that "Ch'in Chia and his wife Hsui Shu are supposed to be a couple of constant and profound lovers and therefore have often been referred to as such in subsequent ages by people when they laud wedded bliss." Anne Birrell, in Games Poets Play, stated: "Ch'in Chia's expression of helpless melancholy and graceful, gallant compliments influenced the development of poems on conjugal love."
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Anne Birrell Chinese Love Poetry: New Songs from a Jade Terrace (1995), p. 54
- 2.Arthur Waley Translations from the Chinese (1941), p. 55
- 3.Guido Vitale (barone.), Chinese folklore: Pekinese rhymes (1972), p. 54
- 4.Harriet T. Zurndorfer Chinese Women in the Imperial Past: New Perspectives (1999), p. 328
- 5.Chambers dictionary of quotations (1997), p. 248. Very little is known of his life.
- 6.Also spelt "Hs'u Shu" and "Xu Shu".
- 7.Per Anne Birrell Games poets play: readings in medieval Chinese poetry (2004), p. 240; Some sources state that the city was Beijing.
- 8.The book Sunflower splendor: three thousand years of Chinese poetry (1975), by Wu-chi Liu and Irving Yucheng Lo, gives a contradictory account, stating: When Ch'in Chia parted from his wife, he gave her a mirror as a symbol of their union. (p. 199), but Ch'in Chia only sends her "The bright mirror [that] will reflect [her] face", a gift mentioned in one of his poem to his wife, after their separation.
- 9."Tseng fu shih"; Victor H. Mair The Columbia History of Chinese Literature (2012), p. 1317
- 10.The poems are entitled "Ch'in Chia's Wife's Reply"; "A Further Reply to Qin Jia", "Poem in Reply to My Husband" (Qieshen xi buling; also translated as "Response to My Husband, Ch'in Chia"); see Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Agnes D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles, Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women (2007), p. 228
- 11.Unknown date; "c. 150 BC" is taken from Chambers Dictionary of Quotations (1997), p. 248
- 12.Chinese decorated letter-paper (1978), p. 3
- 13.Albert Richard Davis The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse (1962), p. 3
- 14.Institute for Chinese Culture, Taipei (City), China today, Vol. 11 (1968), p. 43
- 15.Anne Birrell Games poets play: readings in medieval Chinese poetry (2004), pp. 240-241
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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