Born in a poor family in Qiantang (modern
Hangzhou,
Zhejiang), Li and his siblings were orphaned in early childhood. His elder brother sold tobacco while he studied and worked as a tutor. From 17141719, he taught the wealthy brothers
Wang Hang (,
Wāng Hàng, 17041784) and Wang Pu (). A poem by Wang Hang was later responsible for the naming of
Yangzhou's
Slender West Lake. In 1720 Li passed the
imperial examination for the
juren degree. He was unable to advance his career in government, partly due to his temperament. Instead, he made a name for himself as the most erudite person with regard to
Song dynasty poetry. He is widely considered a leader of the Zhejiang School of poetry (also known as Western Zhejiang School of Lyrics), which was started by
Zha Shenxing and
Zhu Yizun. From 17311734, he assisted with the compilation of the
West Lake Records (,
Xīhú Zhì). Li E valued his interest in scholarship more than his worldly career. When he was passing through
Tianjin on the way to capital
Beijing for a government appointment, he was invited to stay with the wealthy scholar Zha Weiren. When he found out that Zha had been working on annotating 13th-century scholar Zhou Mi's
Jue Miao Hao Ci (Best of the Best Lyrics), Li abandoned his appointment and decided to join forces with Zha. In 1749, they completed their work
Jue Miao Hao Ci Jian (An Annotated Best of the Best Lyrics), which was printed the following year. Li E died two years later in 1752. ==Works==