There is no exact information about the date and the place of her birth. However, since she lived in the southern capital Jiankang (the present-day city of Nanjing) during the latter part of the Eastern Jin dynasty and had close connections with the court it is reasonable to assume that she may have been from a southern province, or perhaps even from the capital itself.
Zhi Miaoyin was admired by Emperor Xiaowu and his younger brother Sima Daozi. She often discussed the writing of literary compositions with the emperor as well as with the premier and other scholars at the court. Sima Daozi established the Jianjing Monastery for her in the year 385 and invited her to become the abbess, with more than 100 nuns and novices under her care. Her association with the powerful and influential Sima Daozi caused a great many people to fawn on her in an attempt to gain his ear. The monastery got a lot of donations and Zhi Miaoyin became one of the wealthiest people in the capital. People from all walks of life sought her out as a teacher and master; it is said that every day more than 100 carriages stopped at her door.
Zhi Miaoyin also has a great political influence. When Wang Chen, the regional inspector of Jingzhou, died, Emperor Xiaowu is said to have chosen a man from the same clan to fill the vacant position. This man, Wang Gong, was known as a disciplinarian and the prospect of his becoming regional inspector did not please a governor under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou, a warlord by the name of Huan Xuan who had suffered badly under Wang Chen. Huan Xuan, therefore, sent his man to Zhi Miaoyin to try to obtain the position of regional inspector for his preferred candidate, Yin Zhongkan, who was a much weaker man. In due course, the emperor asked Zhi Miaoyin who the people were saying should be appointed to the post and, after initially feigning reluctance to meddle in political affairs, Zhi Miaoyin told him that public opinion favored Yin Zhongkan. When the emperor then appointed Yin Zhongkan to the position, everybody saw it as confirmation of Zhi Miaoyin’s overwhelming influence over the court.
It is said that Zhi Miaoyin was an intelligent woman widely read in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist fields who was also skilled at literary composition.
Zhi Miaoyin wasn't married and had no children.
