author
Xun Su
1009–1066
A major voice of the Northern Song, this essayist and thinker became one of the celebrated Eight Masters of the Tang and Song. He is also remembered as the father of the famous writers Su Shi and Su Zhe, making the "Three Su" one of Chinese literature’s best-known family legacies.
1 Audiobook
蘇洵集
by Xun Su
About the author
Born in Meishan in today’s Sichuan, Su Xun was a Song-dynasty scholar, essayist, and philosopher whose prose earned a lasting place in Chinese literary history. He is best known as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song, a group admired for the power and clarity of their writing.
Tradition remembers him as someone who turned seriously to study later than many scholars, then rose to distinction through determination and talent. His essays often deal with government, strategy, and moral judgment, and they helped shape the reputation of classical prose in the Northern Song.
Su Xun is also closely linked with his sons, Su Shi and Su Zhe. Together they are known as the "Three Su," a family trio whose work became central to the Chinese literary canon.