Jia Yi

Jia Yi
18th century depiction of Jia Yi
Traditional Chinese	賈誼
Simplified Chinese	贾谊
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiǎ Yì Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jea Yih Wade–Giles Chia3 I4 IPA [tɕjà î] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gáa Yih Jyutping Gaa2 Ji6 IPA [ka˧˥ ji˨] Southern Min Tâi-lô Ká Gī Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Kǽ Ngje Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *C.qˤ<r>aʔ ŋ(r)aj
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	賈生
Simplified Chinese	贾生
Literal meaning	"Scholar Jia"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiǎ shēng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gáa sāang Southern Min Tâi-lô Ká sing Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *C.qˤ<r>aʔ sreŋ

Jia Yi (Wade–Giles: Chia I; c. 200 – 169 BCE) was a Chinese essayist, poet and politician of the Western Han dynasty, best known as one of the earliest known writers of fu rhapsody and for his essay "Disquisition Finding Fault with Qin" (Guò Qín Lùn 過秦論), which criticises the Qin dynasty and describes Jia's opinions on the reasons for its collapse.

Early attracting the attention of a Governor Wu of Hunan for his literary skills, the promotion of Wu around 179 BCE saw him appointed scholar of the classics. He was made Grand Master of the Palace one year later. Exiled through the influence of "old-guard officials", he was recalled on a pretext as a consultant on Taoist mysticism, but resistance to institutional reform saw him sent to tutor the Emperor Wen's favored youngest son Liu Yi. He is said to have died of grief following the accidental death of Liu Yi on horseback.

Although often recalled modernly for his Disquisitions, his most famous work may actually be his poem On the Owl, which draws on proverbs and parables from the Tao te ching and Zhuangzi, and his Lament for Qu Yuan, containing political and educational insights.^[1] Author of the treatise Xinshu (新書),^[2] the Book of Han's Journal on Literature attributes thirty eight writings to him.^[3]