Mei Yaochen
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.
Also recorded as Shengyu · Wanling xiansheng
Mei Yaochen
- Name
- Mei Yaochen
- Born
- 31 May 1002
- Birthplace
- Xuancheng, Anhui, China
- Died
- 27 May 1060
- Place of death
- Kaifeng, Henan, China
- Occupation
- Poet
- Nationality
- Song dynasty
- Languages
- Chinese
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 119035677 · wikidata · Q706779 · wikipedia · Mei Yaochen
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
His style name was 'Sheng Yu' (圣俞). 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."
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mei Yaochen • Native Name — 梅堯臣 • Born — 31 May 1002 • Birthplace — Xuancheng, Anhui, China • Died — 27 May 1060 • Place of death — Kaifeng, Henan, China • Occupation — Poet • Children — Mei Zeng Mei Chi Mei Tong Mei Gui'er • Parents — Mei Rang • Relatives — Mei Miao Mei Yuan Mei
Documentary record
Mei Yaochen lived from 1002 to 1060 and is documented in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Mei Yaochen was born in 1002 and died in 1060.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1002
Mei Yaochen born at Xuancheng.
1060
Mei Yaochen died at Kaifeng.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Xuancheng.
Birth place
Kaifeng.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q706779: Mei Yaochen
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Mei Yaochen”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 119035677, Mei, Yaochen.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mei Yaochen, revision 1352533590 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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.Cihai: Page 1306.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
The poetry of Mei Yaochen (1002-1060) : a receptionist approach = Mei Yaochen (1002-1060) shi yan jiu : cong jie shou shi de jiao du chu faCrossref registry
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 119035677, Mei, Yaochen.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q706779: Mei YaochenWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the headings Shengyu and Wanling xiansheng. His recorded language was Chinese. He was the child of Mei Rang. He married Xie Shi.
Identity and origins
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 14 August 2026.
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