Yuan Zhen (Chinese: 元稹; Wade–Giles: Yüan Chen; 779 – September 2, 831), courtesy name Weizhi (微之), was a Chinese novelist, poet, and politician of the middle Tang Dynasty.

In poetry, he is remembered for the inclusion of some of his poems by popular anthologies, his verses on exotic topics (such as the former Liangzhou), and for being part of the group of "New Yuefu" poets, which often used poetry as a form of expression and protest, but one potentially subtle enough to avoid the likely repercussions of more direct criticism.