Writers › Writer / Poet
Chao Duanli
Northern Song lyricist, also named Yuanli, courtesy name Ciying, who took the jinshi in 1073 and in old age became Harmonizer at the Dasheng Music Bureau; his Lu Tou Ya and Bing Di Furong are well regarded.
In a study at night, a desk holds a brush pot, a porcelain vase with a plum branch, a lit red lantern, a folded fan and an unrolled blank scroll, with no one seated there, while through a round window the moon rises over a lake with a sailboat.
Also known as Chao Yuanli (alternative name) · Courtesy name Ciying
Chao Duanli (1046–1113), also named Yuanli, courtesy name Ciying, came from Qingfeng in Kaide prefecture (modern Puyang, Henan). He took the jinshi in 1073 and held posts including registrar of Chengwu and legal aide at Yingzhou, before being dismissed for a time. In 1113, recommended by Cai Jing, he returned to the capital, presented his lyric Bing Di Furong, and was made Gentleman of Service and Harmonizer at the Dasheng Music Bureau, dying that same year. His best-known lyric is Lu Tou Ya, beginning 'wan yun shou', and it is included in the Three Hundred Song Lyrics.
Life and times
Dates 1046–1113 CE