Xú Líng 徐陵 (507–583), zì Xiàomù 孝穆, posthumously titled Zhāng 章, native of Dōnghǎi Tán 東海郯 (modern eastern Shāndōng), was the great LiángChén transition stylist and literary partner of 庾信 in the XúYǔ tǐ 徐庾體 of gōngtǐ parallel-prose tradition. Son of the Liáng-Wǔ-dì-era Tàizǐ Zuǒwèi shuài Xú Chī 徐摛 (himself a master of the gōngtǐ style); a child prodigy — composing prose at eight, mastering Zhuāngzǐ and Lǎozǐ at twelve. He served the Liáng under Jiǎnwéndì 簡文帝 (then Crown Prince) at the Eastern Palace and compiled the Yùtái xīnyǒng 玉臺新詠 anthology at his command. Sent on diplomatic mission to Eastern Wèi in Tàiqīng 2 (548), he was retained in the Northern Qí during the Hóu Jǐng catastrophe (548–552). On his return, he played a leading role in the founding of the Chén under Chén Wǔdì 陳武帝 (Chén Bàxiān 陳霸先), and rose under Chén Wǔdì and Chén Wéndì 陳文帝 to shìzhōng, Ānyòu jiāngjūn, Zuǒ guānglù dàifū, Nán Xúzhōu dà zhōngzhèng, and Jiànchāngxiàn kāiguóhóu 建昌縣開國侯.
He was the principal stylist of all major Chén-state documents — xí (manifestos), jūn shū (military letters), and chán shòu zhào cè (dynastic-transfer proclamations). His Yùtái xīnyǒng xù 玉臺新詠序 is one of the great prefaces of medieval Chinese literature. Standard biographies in Chén shū 26 and Nán shǐ 62. CBDB confirms 507–583. His writings survive in KR4b0019 Xú Xiàomù jí jiānzhù 徐孝穆集箋注.