Zhang Ruoxu
Zhang Zhang Ruoxu (ca. 660 – ca. 720) was a Chinese poet of the early Tang dynasty from Yangzhou in modern Jiangsu province.
Also recorded as Chang Jo-hsü · Wuzhongsizi
Zhang Ruoxu
- Born
- 660
- Died
- 720
- Nationality
- Tang dynasty
- Occupation
- poet
- Languages
- Chinese
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Zhang Zhang Ruoxu (ca. 660 – ca. 720) was a Chinese poet of the early Tang dynasty from Yangzhou in modern Jiangsu province.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Zhang Ruoxu was a poet; nationality: Tang dynasty. Zhang Ruoxu was born in 660. Died in 720. The language is Chinese.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 30 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Zhang Ruoxu. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 119044854 · wikidata · Q6804586 · wikipedia · Zhang Ruoxu
In this article
Life
Life
He is best known for "Spring River in the Flower Moon Night" (Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye, 春江花月夜), one of the most distinctive and influential Tang poems, which has inspired numerous later artworks.
Zhang Ruoxu was a native of Yangzhou in modern Jiangsu province, and served as a minor military officer in Yanzhou in modern Shandong. Little is known about his life today. He is traditionally grouped with He Zhizhang, Zhang Xu, and Bao Rong as the Four Poets of Central Wu (zh-Hant), the Lower Yangtze region.
Poetry
Poetry
Only two of Zhang Ruoxu's poems are extant, but one of them, "Spring River in the Flower Moon Night" (Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye, 春江花月夜), has long been well known and considered an extraordinary work. The poem can be divided into nine quatrains and three sections. The first section describes the scenery of the moonlit Yangtze River in spring. The second and third lament the ephemerality of life, as well as the sorrow of travellers and the loved ones they leave behind. The poem marks a stylistic break from the poetry of the preceding Six Dynasties, and anticipates the content and style of High Tang poetry.
Usage in Music
Usage in Music
• Free HD Video Recording of Variations on "Spring River in the Flower Moon Night" from American Solo Harpist Jieyin Wu
Legacy
A distinctive poem of the Tang dynasty, "Spring River in the Flower Moon Night" is included in virtually all historical surveys of Tang poetry. The influential 20th-century poet Wen Yiduo was especially enthusiastic in his praise, calling it "the poem of all poems, the summit of all summits." Zhang Ruoxu's poem has inspired numerous later artworks. The composer Peng Xiuwen created a piece of orchestral music with the same name, which has since entered the classical repertoire for the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng. During the Lantern Festival of 2013, calligrapher Wang Dongling (王冬龄) gave a live calligraphy performance at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, creating a 6 m high by 11 m wide work of Spring River in the Flower Moon Night. It was the largest work of calligraphy made in Hong Kong, and has been donated to the art museum.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6804586: Zhang Ruoxu
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Zhang Ruoxu”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 119044854, Zhang, Ruoxu.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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.Hunan Provincial Museum. Music.
- 2.Government of Hong Kong. Exhibition of Professor Wang Dongling's calligraphy work opens. 21 January 2014.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 6
- cite book
- cite book
- cite book
- cite book
- cite book
- François Cheng (1970), L'Analyse formelle de l'œuvre poétique d'un auteur des Tang, Zhang Ruo-Xu , Mouton
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q6804586: Zhang RuoxuWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 119044854, Zhang, Ruoxu.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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.
Elsewhere in Books
39,296 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Zhang JiAuthor
- Zhang JianhongAuthor
- Zhang JianzhiAuthor
- Zhang JiulingAuthor
- Zhang SanfengAuthor
- Zhang TianyiAuthor
- Zhang WeiAuthor
- Zhang XianliangAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Zhang Ruoxu?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.