Po Chü-i (772-846) was a Chinese poet best known for his ballads and satirical poems. He held the view that good poetry should be readily understood by the common people and exemplified it in poems noted for simple diction, natural style, and social content.

On Feb. 28, 772, Po Chü-i was born in Hsin-cheng, Honan, to a family of poets and minor officials. In his childhood he stayed with his mother and other members of the family while his father went south to take up prefectural positions in the Yangtze region. When military governors of the northern provinces rebelled against the government in 782, the family moved southward to Fu-li (northern Anhwei) and later to Chü-chou (western Chekiang) to be near Po's father, who held successive official appointments in these districts.

In his early youth Po Chü-i prepared himself for the civil service...