Ouyang Xiu (Ou-Yang Hsiu) (歐陽修; 欧阳修 style name: Yongshu 永叔; also known as Zuiweng 醉翁 and Liuyi Jushi 六一居士) (Wade-Giles: Ouyang Hsiu) (1007 - 1072) was a Chinese statesman, historian, essayist and poet of the Song Dynasty. Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Events Aethelred buys two years of peace with the Danes for 36,000 pounds of silver. ... Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... The term statesman is a respectful term used to refer to diplomats, politicians, and other notable figures of state. ... A historian is a person who studies history. ... An essayist is an author who writes compositions which can be about any particular subject. ... Poets are authors of poems, or of other forms of poetry such as dramatic verse. ... Alternative meaning: Song Dynasty (420-479) The Song dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ...

He was born in Luling, Jizhou prefecture (in modern Jiangxi) into a relatively poor family, losing his father when he was four. Unable to afford traditional tutoring, he was largely self-taught. He passed the jinshi exam in 1030 and became a major establishment figure of the period, but independent thought continued to be one of his hallmarks. Politically, he was an early patron of the political reformer Wang Anshi, but later became one of his strongest opponents. In his late 20s, Ouyang lost a factional battle at court and was sent out to the provincial Chuzhou 滁州 (in modern Anhui). Jiangxi (Chinese: 江西; pinyin: Jiāngxī; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) in the north into hillier areas in the south. ... A tutor is a private instructor who teaches a specific educational subject or skill to an individual student. ... Events Battle of Stiklestad ensures the Christianization of Norway. ... Wáng Ānshí (王安石) (1021 - 1086) was a Chinese economist, statesman and poet of the Song Dynasty who attempted some controversial, major socio-economic reforms. ... Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

In his prose works, he followed the example of Han Yu, promoting the Classical Prose Movement (古文運動). He was traditionally classed as one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. Among his most famous prose works is the Zuiweng ting ji (醉翁亭记, lit. 'Regarding the Old Drunkard's Pavillion), a description of his pastoral lifestyle among the mountains, rivers and people of Chuzhou. The work is lyrical in its quality and acclaimed as one of the highest achievements of Chinese travel writing. Hán Yù (韓愈) (768 - 824), was a precursor of Neo-Confucianism as well as an essayist and poet. ... The Classical Prose Movement (Chinese 古文運動 pinyin guwen yundong) of the late Tang dynasty and the China advocated clarity and precision rather than the florid piantiwen (駢體文) style which had become popular since the Han dynasty. ... The Tang Dynasty (唐朝 pinyin: tángcháo) (June 18 Jarryd Gleesons Birth Date who is part of this dynasty, 618 – June 4, 907) followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. ...

As a historian, he has been criticised as overly didactic, but he played an important role in establishing the use of epigraphy as a historiographic technique. Epigraphy (Greek, επιγραφή - written upon) is the study of inscriptions engraved into stone or other permanent materials, or cast in metal, the science of classifying them as to cultural context and date, elucidating them and assessing what conclusions can be deduced from them. ...

His poems are generally relaxed, humorous, and often self-deprecatory; he gave himself the title "The Old Drunkard". He wrote both shi and ci. His shi are stripped-down to the essentials emphasised in the High Tang period, eschewing the ornate style of the Late Tang. He is best known, however, for his ci. In particular, his series of ten poems entitled "West Lake is Good" (西湖好) set to the tune "Picking Mulberries" (采桑子) helped to popularise the genre as a vehicle for serious poetry. This article discusses humour in terms of comedy and laughter. ... Shi (詩) is the Chinese word for poem; it can also be used to mean Chinese poetry other than lyrics, or (most commonly) the classical form of poetry developed in the late Han dynasty and which reached its zenith in the Tang dynasty. ... Ci poetry (è©ž, interchangeable with è¾­ pinyin cí) is a kind of lyric Chinese poetry. ...

In 1072 Ouyang Xiu died in Yingzhou, Anhui province. Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

External links

• Britannica.com
• Biographical profile
• English translations of the ten "West Lake is Good" poems