Life

She was born in 1771 into an artistic family in Yanghu in Changzhou. Her aunt, Yun Bing, was a skilled artist. and her great grandfather, Yun Shouping, was a renowned painter. During her birth her grandmother had a dream that a stranger gave her a large shining pearl. Taking this as a sign she was called "Zhu" the word for pearl.

Her father was a jailer but she married Wanglan Tinglu who was a Manchu aristocrat. They had four children Wanyan Linqing in 1791, Wanyan Linchang in 1792, Wanyan Linshu in 1794 and a daughter the following year.

She wrote and collected poems. Her favourite son Linqing discovered that his mother had collected over 3,000 poems by women during her childhood and as an adult. Possibly without her consent Linqing arranged for some to published in 1814. Yun was annoyed as she felt that only poems intended for posterity should be published. Her Drafts poems and Lyrics from Hongxiang Library went to be reprinted in 1866 and 1928.

She restarted her life at the age of 50 following the death of her husband in 1820, the year before. She took a pen name of Adept of the Lotus Lake. She went to live with her son and this meant that we know of her life from his autobiography. He was an expert in water conservation in Anhui province. When he moved from the Huizhou prefecture, she wanted to travel via the sights of Xin'an, so she wanted a route through the Dahong mountain. Linqing obliged and he led the way giving her a commentary. Linqing decided to get a painting made of her following his lead up steep mountain paths in a sedan chair.

Her pre-eminent work was a book of poetry called Women's Poetry: anthology for a Correct Beginning. The book included 933 different authors and 1,700 poems. It took twenty years to complete and it included poets from Korea and Mongolia. Yun was able to travel widely as accompanied her father on his business trips. The proof reading of the book was completed by her granddaughters and her daughters in law.

She was known as "Dame dowager of the first rank" and had been given other honours by the Imperial court. She taught three sons and fourteen grandchildren before she died in 1833. She died without her favourite son ashehadbeen ordered by the emperor to become the Governor of Guizhou. This was a challenge for Linqing as he did not want to leave. However fear of bandits and of disobeying the emperor meant that he had to journey alone. His split loyalties are shown in the paintings and poetry he created en route. After she died Linqing took her remains to Beijing for burial.

生平

乾隆三十六年（1771年）阴历六月十八日生，曾祖父恽寿平，父亲恽毓秀。据说出生前，其祖母梦见一妇人送来一颗大明珠，因此给孙女取名珠。十岁时能诗，十三时能工绣，善绘事，被女画家、姑母恽冰欣赏。

恽珠少女时倾慕耶律常哥，愿仿效她终生不嫁。十四岁时，完颜岱夫人索绰罗氏让恽珠作一首以〈锦鸡〉为题的诗，后者援笔立成，诗云：「闲对清波照彩衣，徧身金锦世应稀。一朝脱却樊笼去，好向朝阳学凤飞。」，因此受索绰罗氏赏识而说亲议婚，在十八岁时嫁给完颜廷璐作正室，为当时少见的满汉联姻。加拿大汉学家指出，因为恽寿平有汉军旗人的养父子关系，使满汉联姻具有合法性。

丈夫官至知府，生麟庆、麟昌、麟书、以及一女，后因麟庆被封为一品太夫人。晚年有四位孙子、十位孙女。恽珠少年曾自梦见到一海岛，有人告诉她前生为菩萨侍女，岛为红香岛，而绘有〈红岛侍书图〉。

恽珠重视儒家礼教，信仰佛教，喜食素食、刻印佛经与医书、作功德事，又仿照《列女传》，编有《兰闺宝录》以推广传统的伦理道德。恽珠平日写的诗作，由儿子私下印行，名为《红香馆集诗词草》，有诗七十八首、诗馀六首。她知道后，说不足传世，叫儿子不要再印。

恽珠被誉为满汉文化融合、闺秀文化的典范，最知名的成就为历时十七年编辑的《国朝闺秀正始集》。此书共二十卷，收录清朝女子的诗作，共九百三十三人，一千七百馀首。她在书中表示收录作者的标准限于闺秀女子，尼姑、道士、妓女等盖置不录，但少数具有晚节的青楼女子的作品选入附录。她认为女子的诗作要有敦厚温柔之旨，不可浮艳。作者来自各地，有满、汉、蒙族之外，还有少数为哈密、土司、朝鲜女子。此书于1831年刊成后，许多女子将诗作寄来，希望能收录于续集，恽珠一一收集频加删定，校对由十位孙女帮忙，媳妇们监督。

道光十三年（1833年）阴历四月十四日，恽珠临终时将未完成的续集交给孙女完颜妙莲保，盼望能完成。恽珠去世后，妙莲保以三年时间编成十卷《国朝闺秀正始续集》，又附录一卷，共收录共四百五十九人，九百一十九首，末录挽诗一册以志雅谊，于道光十六年（1836年）印行。

画作

绘有〈红岛侍书图〉、〈百花手卷〉、〈金鱼紫绶图〉、〈锦灰堆图〉、〈多喜图〉等。

著作

著有《红香馆集诗词草》（高鹗序，宗室崇硕跋）、《鹤背青囊》、《闺签》，纂有《兰闺宝录》及《国朝闺秀正始集》。

家庭

• 夫内务府镶黄旗满洲、山东泰安府知府完颜氏廷鏴。其父河南布政使完颜岱，嫡母索绰罗氏（父乾隆壬申恩科进士德风，胞叔乾隆丁巳科进士文庄公德保 (清朝)），庶母陆氏；祖父完颜泰；曾祖刑部侍郎期成额，其嫡妻舒穆鲁氏（胞兄正白旗满洲、武英殿大学士文襄公舒赫德，胞姊舒穆鲁氏嫁乾隆四年己未科翻译进士文敬公伊尔根觉罗氏三宝 (翻译进士)），继妻戴佳氏（父镶黄旗满洲、慤勤公戴佳氏那苏图，胞姊戴佳氏封乾隆帝之忻贵妃）。

• 子嘉庆己巳科进士完颜氏麟庆。

• 女儿完颜氏，嫁内务府镶黄旗汉军、嘉庆戊寅恩科举人董氏衍勋（胞兄道光癸未科进士衍豫（又毓庆），父乾隆己酉科进士广善）。