Jia Dao was born in Fanyang (now Zhuozhou, Hebei Province). He was born in a humble background, and his early deeds could not be verified. It is said that he had applied for the exam many times before he was 30 years old, but in the imperial examination, he was even worse than Meng Jiao and failed in Sun Shan many times. In an exam, he was dismissed because he despised the examiner for disturbing the Hiram's Hospital, and was labeled as "keeping ten evils". In his poem "To Hanlin", there is a sentence "I should feel sorry for myself and suffer from fame and fortune", which shows his struggle in the literary world.
After repeated trials and failures, Jia Dao had to become a monk. He has no legal name and lives in Qingliu Temple in Chang 'an.
Long-term poverty, frustration and lonely Zen life have made Jia Dao, who was originally withdrawn and indifferent, introverted and wild. He put everything behind him and devoted himself to his poetic world. He is often carried away by the idea of poetry. "Although you sit and sleep, you can't sing endlessly", so it is regarded as the representative of poets by later generations.
Because of poetry, he met the local governor twice.
"Tai Ping Guang Ji" records: "(Jia Dao) tried to cross the street by donkey. When the autumn wind is strong, the yellow leaves can be swept. The island suddenly sang' Leaves Full of Chang 'an'. It was impossible to get a joint sentence, but Liu Qichu was released overnight because of the prevarication of the big Beijing Zhao. "
Jia Dao is obsessed with poetry. Whether walking, sitting or eating, he never forgets to recite poems. On one occasion, he rode a donkey on Chang 'an Avenue with an umbrella. At that time, the autumn wind was in a hurry and yellow leaves were everywhere. Jia Dao was suddenly inspired and sang a poem: "Leaves are falling all over Chang 'an. "Thinking hard about another poem corresponding to it, I forgot to avoid it, and collided with Jing and Liu Qichu's sedan chair and honor guard, and was arrested and locked up all night.
This sentence "Leaves are full of Chang 'an", which kept him shut all night, is a famous sentence of Jia Dao. The title of this poem is Yi Shui Shi, and the whole poem is as follows:
After Fujian set sail, Toad lost his last contact.
Autumn wind blows the Weihe River and leaves fall all over Chang 'an.
There was a party here in the evening, when it was thunderstorm and freezing.
Lan Raoshu did not return, and the news was in the clouds.
This is an unforgettable work, in which "autumn wind" and "fallen leaves" describe autumn scenery, which is natural and neat and desolate, and is a famous sentence handed down from generation to generation.
Another collision is much luckier. "The Story of Gong Liu" records: "At the beginning of the island, I went to raise the capital. One day, there was a saying on the donkey:' Birds are standing in the trees by the pool, and monks are knocking at the door. "At first I wanted to push and knock, but I couldn't practice it, so I sang on the donkey, always holding hands deliberately. When Han Yu's official department was empowered by Jingzhao, the island unconsciously rushed to the third quarter. Around Yin, there is a happy poem on the island. After a long time, Han immediately called the island and said,' Typing is really good.' So I went home with him. Lingering in poetry is the friendship of cloth and clothes. "
One day, Jia Dao went to the outskirts of Chang 'an to visit his friend Li Ning. He walked along the mountain road for a long time and arrived at Li Ning's house in the dead of night. Unfortunately, Li Ning is not at home. In the bright moonlight, his knock on the door woke up the birds in the tree. Jia Dao wrote a song "Li Ning lives in seclusion":
Living leisurely here, few neighbors come, and the overgrown path leads to the wilderness.
Birds are freely perched in the trees by the pool, and monks are knocking at the door.
Walking across this bridge, you can see the charming scenery of Ye Yuan, and the feet of clouds seem to be moving on the floating rocks.
I will leave here for a while, but I will come back and retire with my friends on the appointed date.
[If! The next day, [endif] Jia Dao returned to Chang 'an. Along the way, he was still thinking about the poem last night. He felt that the word "push" in "Trees and Birds Stay by the Pool, Monks Push the Moon Down the Door" seemed inappropriate enough. Maybe "knocking" is more appropriate. Jia Dao rode on a donkey, singing, knocking at the door and pushing the door. At this time, Jing and Han Yu's guard of honor came, and Jia Dao gesticulated with his hands, unaware that he had broken into the guard of honor. Send someone to take him to see Han Yu. When Han Yu asked him why he trespassed, Jia Dao read his poems to Han Yu. Han Yu was also interested and thought for a moment and said, "It's better to type." Jia Dao was not only not punished this time, but also made friends with Han Yu. This is the origin of the allusion "scrutiny".
Persuaded by friends such as Han Yu, Jia Dao returned to the secular world and took part in the imperial examination again, but he was still too tired. It was not until his later years that Jia Dao became a small official like the main book of Changjiang County, so people later called him "Jia Changjiang". In the fifth year of Kaicheng (840), Jia Dao was promoted to treasurer of Zhou Pu (now Anyue County, Sichuan Province) and joined the army. Huichang three years (843), died in Zhou Pu.
Jia Dao wasted his life and focused on poetry creation, and poetry became his highest and only pursuit. Biography of Talented Talents in the Tang Dynasty says that Jia Dao "always buys clothes made by one year old on the 30th of the year, then burns incense to worship them, and makes a toast:' It's been a hard year.' "Drink a long speech, go away. "Others worship ancestors, but he offered his own poems.
Jia Dao writes poems and works hard on words, which is extremely hard and serious. In the poem "No Man", he wrote to himself, "Walking alone in the shadow at the bottom of the pool, counting the trees": "It took three years in two sentences, and tears flowed at once. If you don't appreciate your confidant, you will return to the mountain. " It is his daily life to scrutinize poems and refine words. No wonder people call him a "poetry slave".
Jia Dao is good at five-character poems and likes to describe desolate and lonely scenes with many bitter words. But this "swordsman" is straightforward and unique:
After ten years' hard work, I have grinded out a sword. The edge of the sword flashes in cold light, but I haven't tried its sharpness.
I'll show you today who has a grievance.
In a swordsman's tone, he expressed his ideals and ambitions, eager to display his talents and make a difference.
This may be another aspect of his thought. He also has lofty ideals and ambitions, but the cruel reality makes us only see his tragic side.