Born in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China, he was a composer and pianist. In 1928, he entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, studying piano with Boris Zakharoff and composition with Huang Zi. In 1947, he went to the Paris Conservatoire to study composition with Nadia Boulanger. After returning to China in 1949, he was appointed professor and successively served as head of the composition department and vice president.

In 1934, he premiered He Luting's Shepherd's Flute and Lullaby, and is considered the first Chinese pianist to record them.