Literature · Philosophy · AD 701–AD 762
Born: 19 May AD 701 · Died: 30 November AD 762 · Age at death: 61
Li Bai died aged 61. He was born on 19 May AD 701 and died on 30 November AD 762.
Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty famed for his romantic verses about wine, moonlight and nature, one of China's greatest poets
Did you know?Legend suggests he drowned after falling out of a boat while trying to embrace the moon's reflection.
Li Bai is one of the most loved poets in Chinese history, and many of his verses are learned by heart by schoolchildren across China. Writing during the Tang dynasty, he celebrated wine, friendship, the moon and the beauty of mountains and rivers. His poems feel spontaneous and free, reflecting his restless life of wandering. His short poem Quiet Night Thought, about seeing moonlight and thinking of home, is one of the best-known poems in the Chinese language. He is often paired with his friend Du Fu as one of the two greatest poets of the age.
Li Bai (c. 701 – 762), also known by his courtesy name of Taibai, was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the best and most important poets of the Tang dynasty, and even in the whole of Chinese poetry.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
“Before my bed, the moonlight gleams; I wonder if it's frost upon the ground.”
Profile
Chinese poet, born 701
Li Bai was born around 701, probably in Central Asia.
He is one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty.
About 1,000 of his poems survive.
He died in 762.
Career highlights
Did you know?Legend says he drowned trying to embrace the moon's reflection.
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