Luo Yin (833–909; the year of his death is also given as 910) was a late-Tang poet, writer, calligrapher, painter, and official. His courtesy name was Zhaojian and his sobriquet Jiangdongsheng; he was the fifteenth in birth order, was originally named Heng, and was also known as Luo Jishi. His native place is variously given as Yuhang, Xincheng (present-day Fuyang, Zhejiang), or Xindeng.
Life
He repeatedly sat for the jinshi examination but failed ten times; another account describes more than ten years of failure, after which he changed his name to Yin. In the eleventh year of Xiantong (870), he first served as county assistant magistrate of Hengyang; toward the end of Xiantong, he was secretary to Yu Gui, the Hunan Observer, and a staff officer to Li Wei of Huainan.
After his father died in the third year of Qianfu (876), Luo returned home for mourning and later went back to the capital. During Guangming, when Huang Chao captured Chang'an, he withdrew to Meigenpu in Chizhou.
The Liang emperor Zhu Quanzhong once summoned him to serve as a remonstrance official, but he did not go. During Guangqi (885–888), Qian Liu recruited him into his staff; in 887 Qian memorialized him as magistrate of Qiantang, after which he held the posts of zhuzuo lang and military-governor's secretary.
In the third year of Tianyou (906), he served as a military-governor's judge and is also listed as Assistant Director of the Department of Merit; in 908 he was appointed jishizhong, and the following year became Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner, also described as Deputy Commissioner. He later resided in Xiaoshan and died of illness in the twelfth month.
Literary achievement
Luo became known in his own day for poetry and prose, especially short prose and social satire. His five-volume *讒書* was well known; in the eighth year of Xiantong he compiled his miscellaneous prose as *讒書*, writing in a confrontational and impassioned style with a sharp edge.
His poetry ranked with that of his kinsmen Luo Qiu and Luo Ye, and the three were known as the Three Luos of Jiangdong. He also exchanged poems with Du Xunhe, Lu Guimeng, Wu Rong, Zheng Gu, and others. His style was close to that of Yuan and Bai: forceful, richly wrought, plainspoken, direct, and accessible. Lines such as “今朝有酒今朝醉” and “為誰辛苦為誰甜” entered popular speech. He excelled in historical poems and was especially accomplished in regulated verse, while his quatrains also had distinctive qualities.
The daughter of Zheng Tian once enjoyed reciting his poems, but after seeing his unprepossessing appearance she did not recite them again. The *Quan Tang Shi* preserves eleven juan and one additional poem; the *Quan Tang Shi Yi* adds one poem, while the *Quan Tang Shi Waibian* and *Quan Tang Shi Xu Shi* add fourteen poems and seventeen fragmentary lines.
Works
His works include *兩同書*, *讒書*, *靈壁子*, *說石烈士*, and *拾甲子年事*. A ten-juan *甲乙集* is also known, alongside *江東甲乙集* and *江東集*. There is also a five-juan *讒書* edition with one supplementary collation volume; later compilations include the eight-juan *羅昭諫集* and *羅隱集*.
Later tradition
Popular tradition credits Luo Yin with words that became prophecies, calling him “討飯骨頭聖旨口”.
References
- CBDB Luo Yin (33649)
- 搜韵 羅隱 (19207)
- Wikidata Luo Yin (Q711778)
- 法鼓佛教人名规范数据库 羅隱 (A009976)