胡林翼，字贶生，号润芝（“芝”一作“之”）。清嘉庆十七年（1812）生于湖南省益阳县一个书香之家。祖父胡显韶，博涉经史，以诸生掌教里中。父胡达源，1819年进士，名列一甲三名探花，官至詹事府少詹事，毕生崇奉理学，著有《弟子箴言》、《闻妙香轩诗文集》行世。胡林翼自幼接受理学熏陶，又经诸理学名师指教，故理学对其思想的形成、发展影响极大。( Hu Linyi, courtesy name Kuangsheng, styled himself Runzhi.He was born in a genteel family in Yiyang County, Hunan Province in the 17th year of Jiaqing (1812).His grandfather Hu Xianshao was an erudite scholar and taught at home as a Xiucai scholar.His father Hu Dayuan became a Jinshi scholar in 1819 and a Tanhua scholar among the graduates ranked first class in the court exam and served at the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction. He was a follower of Neo-Confucianism throughout his life and published Admonitions for the Young and Collected Poems and Essays of the Wenmiaoxiang Studio.Hu Linyi had been exposed to Neo-Confucianism as a child and later instructed by Neo-Confucian masters. The experience played a major role in the formation and development of his thoughts.)