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Han Yu (, 768—824), born in Nanyang, Henan, China, was a precursor of Neo-Confucianism as well as an essayist and poet, during the Tang dynasty. The Indiana Companion calls him "comparable in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe" for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition (p. 397). He stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters.

An orphan, he went to Chang'an in 786, but needed four attempts to pass the jinshi exam, finally succeeding in 792. In the last few years of the 8th century, he began to form the literary circle which spread his influence so widely.

He gained his first central government position in 802, but was soon exiled; seemingly for failing to support the heir apparent's faction (other possible reasons are because of his criticism of the misbehaviour of the emperor's servants or his request for reduction of taxes during a famine). From 807 to 819 he held a series of posts first in Luoyang and then in Chang'an. During these years, he was strong advocate of reimposing central control over the separatist provinces of the north-east. This period of service came to an end when he wrote his celebrated Memorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha. This protest against Buddhist influence on the country has been called "belligerently uncompromising and... disrespectful to the edge of personally insulting the emperor". Its only immediate effect was to prompt Han Yu's dismissal and exile to Chaozhou.

In poetry, Han Yu sought to follow the principle that the form of the work should match the content; thus a simple subject would be treated in a simple style, and vice versa.

In prose, he was a strong proponent of the Classical Prose Movement (古文運動), which advocated a clear and concise style of writing.

Nearly three centuries after his death, Han’s ideas had an important influence on Ouyang Xiu, an eleventh century Song Dynasty reformer.

Quote
麟之為靈，昭昭也. 詠於詩，書於春秋，雜出於傳記百家之書. 雖婦人小子，皆知其為祥也. 然麟之為物，不畜於家，不恆有於天下. 其為形也不類，非若馬牛犬豕豺狼麋鹿然. 然則，雖有麟，不可知其為麟也. 角者吾知其為牛也，鬣者吾知其為馬. 犬、豕、豺、狼、麋、鹿，吾知其為犬、豕、豺、狼、麋、鹿. 為麟也不可知，不可知則其謂之不祥也亦宜. 雖然，麟之出，必有聖人在乎位，麟為聖人出也. 聖人者，必之麟，麟之果不為不祥也. 又曰：麟之所以為麟者，以德不以形. 若麟之出不待聖人則謂之不祥也亦宜.
 * "It is universally admitted that the unicorn is a supernatural being of good omen; such is declared in all the odes, annals, biographies of illustrious men and other texts whose authority is unquestionable. Even children and village women know that the unicorn constitutes a favorable presage. But this animal does not figure among the domestic beasts, it is not always easy to find, it does not lend itself to classification. It is not like the horse or the bull, the wolf or the deer. In such conditions, we could be face to face with a unicorn and not know for certain what it was. We know that such and such an animal with horns is a bull. But we do not know what the unicorn is like."