李商隐

李商隱

Lǐ Shāngyǐn

proper noun

Meanings

1 Li Shangyin, poet of the late Tang dynasty

About Li Shangyin

c. 813–858 · 诗人 poet

Writer of dense, allusive love poems, many titled simply 无题, 'Untitled', whose meaning readers still argue over. His line 春蚕到死丝方尽, the silkworm spins until it dies, is now said of devoted teachers.

Also called 义山、玉溪生、樊南生

Characters

hidden; to live as a recluse

Examples

HSK 5

李商隐的诗很美，但是不容易懂。

Lǐ Shāngyǐn de shī hěn měi, dànshì bù róngyì dǒng.

Li Shangyin's poems are beautiful, but not easy to understand.

HSK 7-9

“夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏”是李商隐的名句。

" Xīyáng wúxiàn hǎo, zhǐshì jìn huánghūn " shì Lǐ Shāngyǐn de míngjù.

'The setting sun is endlessly fine, only it is close to dusk' is a famous couplet by Li Shangyin.

Tips

culture

Two of his lines live on as everyday sayings: 心有灵犀一点通, 'hearts joined at a single touch', for two people who understand each other without words, and 夕阳无限好, 'the setting sun is boundlessly lovely', for something good that is close to its end.

history

He spent his career caught between two rival court factions and never rose high. With 杜牧 he is called 'Little Li and Du', the late-Tang echo of 李白 and 杜甫.

Stroke Order

李 lǐ

商 shāng

隐 yǐn

李商隐