背景和早期經歷

趙隱生年不詳，來自京兆下屬的奉天縣。他的一些先祖曾任唐朝的縣令。建中四年（783年），長安兵變反對唐德宗，擁立將領朱泚，德宗被迫逃到奉天，被朱泚圍困，趙隱的祖父趙植率家僕和賓客協助守城。朱泚之亂平定後，趙植入朝，後任嶺南節度使，卒于任上。趙隱的父親趙存約曾為時任山南西道節度使的前宰相李絳的從事。太和四年（830年），士兵兵變，趙存約試圖協助李絳對抗變兵，結果與李絳一同被害。趙隱至少有一個弟弟趙騭（《新唐書》本傳作兄）。

趙隱是個仁孝的人，父親的死讓他很悲傷，他用十多年的時間在父親墳墓旁學習，也不參加科舉。當時，趙家家貧，趙隱和趙騭兄弟相睦，務農養母。唐武宗會昌年間（841年 - 846年），趙存約的一些朋友成為權臣，勸趙隱入仕。這時，趙隱才步入仕途，為一些官員擔任從事。大中三年（849年），唐宣宗在位，趙隱中進士（後來其弟趙騭也中了進士），歷任郡守、尚書郎、給事中、河南尹，後任戶部侍郎、兵部侍郎、領鹽鐵轉運等使。

拜相

咸通十三年（872年）二月，正在御史中丞、刑部侍郎、判戶部任上的趙隱被唐懿宗授同中書門下平章事，為實質宰相，又任為戶部侍郎。隨後，趙隱又被加中書侍郎、兼禮部尚書，加特進，封天水縣伯，食邑七百戶。

儘管趙隱身居高位，但為人謙和，散朝後和趙騭回家便改換便服，侍候母親，仿佛平民百姓。一次，唐懿宗生日，在慈恩寺設宴，趙隱陪母親到宴，當宰相們率官員向懿宗行禮後，趙隱即退到母親身邊服侍，這被官員們視為孝舉。此事開了宰相之母赴宴的先河，後來的宰相崔彥昭、張濬也都攜在世的母親赴宴。

趙隱欣賞右司員外郎孔緯能作文，薦為翰林學士。

十四年（873年），懿宗駕崩，年輕的皇子繼位為唐僖宗。趙隱推薦同年進士檢校吏部尚書崔彥昭擅長財賦。乾符元年（874年）二月，趙隱在中書侍郎、刑部尚書任上被罷相，為檢校兵部尚書、潤州刺史、充浙江西道都團練觀察等使，但仍保有同中書門下平章事的榮銜。

罷相後

趙隱在浙西，闢集賢校理張禕為賓佐。

二年（875年）四月，浙西狼山鎮遏使王郢等69員將領都取得了戰功，趙隱給他們加榮銜，卻沒有給他們增加衣食補貼。這讓將領們不滿，他們呼籲增加補貼，但被拒絕。他們在王郢帶領下反叛，劫掠地方。趙隱因管理失當，被解職改任太常卿。廣明（880年 - 881年）初年，趙隱轉吏部尚書，累加尚書左僕射。唐僖宗已被農民軍黃巢逐出長安後逃往成都，趙隱正為母守喪，也隨駕出逃，途中在特進、尚書右僕射任上去世，僖宗贈司空。他的兒子趙光逢、趙光裔、趙光胤後來在唐末和後梁的朝中任職，趙光逢當時任監察御史，丁憂去職，後任後梁宰相，趙光裔最後任南漢宰相，趙光胤任後唐宰相。

評價

• 《舊唐書》史臣曰：崔、趙以鼎職奉親，天倫並達，積慶垂裕，播美士林。

注釋

Background and early career

It is not known when Zhao Yin was born. His family was from Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), a town that belonged to Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an). Several of his male-line ancestors served as county magistrates during Tang. When Emperor Dezong was forced to flee to Fengtian in 783 after soldiers mutinied against him at Chang'an and supported the general Zhu Ci as their ruler instead, Zhu put Fengtian under siege, and Zhao Yin's grandfather Zhao Zhi led his household servants and guests in assisting Fengtian's defense. As a result, after Zhu's rebellion was suppressed, Zhao Zhi entered the imperial government and eventually served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Lingnan Circuit (嶺南, headquartered in modern Guangzhou, Guangdong) until his death. Zhao Yin's father Zhao Cunyue served on the staff of the former chancellor Li Jiang when Li served as the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), and when the soldiers mutinied against Li in 830, Zhao Cunyue tried to assist Li in fighting off the mutineers, but was killed by the mutineers with Li. Zhao Yin had at least one younger brother, Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Yin, who was said to be filially pious, was greatly saddened by his father's death, and he spent more than a decade thereafter studying near his father's tomb, not submitting himself for the imperial examinations. During this time, the household was said to be poor, and he and Zhao Zhi, who had a loving brotherly relationship, farmed to support their mother. During the Huichang era (841-847) of Emperor Dezong's great-great-grandson Emperor Wuzong, some friends of Zhao Cunyue's became powerful officials, and they urged Zhao Yin to enter official service; only then did Zhao Yin do so, and he served as an assistant to various officials. In 849, by which time Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong was emperor, Zhao passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class. (His brother Zhao Zhi would do so eventually as well.) He served at various posts as prefectural prefect, supervisory official, imperial attendant, and eventually the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the region of the Tang eastern capital Luoyang). He would later serve as deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang) and then the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), also serving as the director of the salt and iron monopolies.

Chancellorship

In 872, by which time Zhao Yin was referred to as deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, Xingbu Shilang) and director of taxation, then-reigning Emperor Yizong (Emperor Xuānzong's son) gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, making him a chancellor de facto, as well as deputy minister of census. He was later made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), as well as the minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshu), with the additional honorific title of Tejin (特進); he was also created the Count of Tianshui.

It was said that Zhao Yin was humble despite his high position, and after imperial gatherings, when he and Zhao Zhi would return home, they would change into civilian clothing and attend to their mother as if they were ordinary citizens. One birthday of Emperor Yizong's, when Emperor Yizong held a feast at Ci'en Temple (慈恩寺), Zhao Yin accompanied his mother to the feast, and after the chancellors led the imperial officials in bowing to the emperor, he returned to his mother's side to attend to her, an action that the other officials found to be a demonstration of filial piety. (Eventually, this would become precedent for the future chancellors Cui Yanzhao and Zhang Jun, whose mothers were also alive at the time that they would be chancellors, at imperial feasts.)

Emperor Yizong died in 873 and was succeeded by his young son Emperor Xizong. In 874, Zhao Yin was relieved of his chancellor position and sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), still carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorific title.

After chancellorship

In 875, after some 69 officers of Zhenhai Circuit had battlefield accomplishments, Zhao Yin gave them honorific titles, but no increases in food or clothing stipends. This displeased them, who appealed the lack of increase, but their appeals were denied. They, thereafter, under the leadership of Wang Ying, rebelled and pillaged the region. As a result of what was considered mishandling of the situation by Zhao, he was relieved from his post and given the largely ceremonial post of minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing). Later, early in the Guangming era (880-881), he was served as minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu). He died in 881 and was given posthumous honors by Emperor Xizong. (As, by that time, Emperor Xizong had fled Chang'an and was en route to Chengdu due to the attack by the agrarian rebel Huang Chao, who established his own state of Qi as its emperor, it appeared likely that Zhao had fled the capital with Emperor Xizong and died on the way.) His sons Zhao Guangfeng, Zhao Guangyi, and Zhao Guangyin would all eventually serve in the imperial government in the final years of Tang Dynasty and in the succeeding Later Liang, with Zhao Guangfeng serving as a chancellor for Later Liang; Zhao Guangyi would eventually serve as a chancellor for the secessionist state of Southern Han, while Zhao Guangyin would serve as a chancellor during the succeeding Later Tang.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 178.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 182.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 252.