Hu Yin

Life

In the third year of the Xuanhe era (1121), Hu passed the jinshi examination, reportedly in the upper category. At the beginning of the Jingkang era, he was summoned as a xiaoshulang in the Palace Library and then advanced to simen yuanwailang; Yang Shi was serving as jijiu when Hu became his student. After Bianjing fell, he abandoned office and returned home.

In the third year of the Jianyan era (1129), Zhang Jun recommended him for the post of jia bu langguan, and he was soon promoted to qiju lang. He submitted a memorial of ten thousand characters outlining a strategy for resisting the Jin and opposing a policy of accommodation; his forthrightness offended the chief minister, after which he was appointed zhi Longtuge and put in charge of Jiangzhou Taiping Temple, soon becoming prefect of Yongzhou.

In the fourth year of Shaoxing (1134), he was recalled as qiju lang and promoted to zhongshu sheren. Gaozong accepted one of his memorials; he subsequently served as prefect of Yongzhou, Shaozhou, and Yanzhou, and also served as prefect of Muzhou. In the eighth year of Shaoxing (1138), he became libu shilang, concurrently serving as shijiang and zhi xueshiyuan; he also held the titles Jiyingdian xiuzhuan and Huiyouge daizhi.

After his father’s death, he observed mourning. When the mourning period ended, he was again appointed Huiyouge zhixueshi and put in charge of Jiangzhou Taiping Temple; he soon retired and lived at Hengshan, also given as Hengzhou.

In the twentieth year of Shaoxing, with Qin Hui dominant at court and hostile to him, Hu was stripped of office for satirizing the government in a letter to Li Guang. He was further impeached for failing to observe mourning for his biological mother and for opposing the establishment of friendly relations with neighboring states; he was demoted to Guozhou tuanlian fushi and placed under administration in Xinzhou. After Qin Hui’s death, he was allowed to act at his own discretion and was soon restored to his former office.

The era year of his death is reported variously as Shaoxing 21 and Shaoxing 26; the year 1156 is consistent, and he is said to have been fifty-nine.

Thought and family

He studied under Yang Shi and is listed as a thinker; his political writing advocated resistance to the Jin, opposed accommodationist peace proposals, and was marked by forthright argument.

Hu Anguo was his paternal uncle and adoptive father. His brothers included Hu Hong (胡宏) and Hu Ning (胡寧); his first wife was Zhang Jilan (張季蘭; 1108–1137), his eldest son was Hu Dayuan (胡大原), and Hu Dazheng (胡大正) is identified as a nephew.

Works

His works include 《論語詳說》, 《讀史管見》, 《崇正辨》 (also written 《崇正辯》), and 《斐然集》; other titles include 《敘古千文》 in one juan, 《三國六朝攻守要論》 in ten juan, and 《致堂讀史管見》.

《讀史管見》 is given as thirty juan and 《崇正辨》 as three; 《斐然集》 is variously given as twenty or thirty juan, with five juan of poetry and a further statement that three juan survive.