When he was young, his father had a strict daily regimen of study that started at 5 am. His studies varied from English music and literature to classical Chinese literature and Tang dynasty poetry. Chyi, however, did not enjoy reading. When he became a teenager, his father's push for education caused a strain on their relationship. Chyi joined a local gang in defiance of his father, and landed in jail for three years as a result of his decision. During his incarceration, Chyi Chin learned to be introspective and kept a diary. While in prison, he earned an appreciation for music. The prison had a guitar in the courtyard for the "juvenile delinquents’" recreation, and Chyi taught himself how to play on it. After his release, Chyi Chin and his older sister, Chyi Yu, often sang together at home, but his father again placed him in home detention for a year. Chyi Yu, by then already a famous singer, gave Chin his start in the field. Whenever she performed "The Olive Tree", she would tell the audience that her brother could sing it even better than she could. Following a duet in Hong Kong with her brother, she gave him an expensive guitar, which he practiced on every day, and after their father died from cancer, Chyi Chin didn't want to inherit any property, but kept all the books he had to read.
Career
Chyi started his formal career in 1981 with his first album titled See her Slip Away Again. Which made him quite popular and later that year he released the smash hit "Wolf" in 1985 and opened up Rainbow Studios. Chyi groups his music career into two periods: the "wolf period" and the "deer period". He attributes the titles of the two periods to "Wolf", the hit single he released in 1985, and a poem that a fortune-teller told him. "The deer bleated/gently towards the hunter's rifle muzzle it walked/gently it toppled/still, with gentle eyes at the hunter it gazed.".
Personal life
Chyi Chin was also very well known for the relationship with Joey Wong, who has been a top Taiwanese actress. Their relationship lasted about 16 years, from 1985 to 2002. They separated and got back together 3 times, but separated for good in 2002 after a court case and she left for Canada, now they remain friends. In March 2010, Chyi married his 27-year-old wife, Sun Li Ya, in Las Vegas, U.S., and she gave birth to a baby daughter, Bonnie on 25 March 2011. On 1 September 2011, Chyi was undergoing cupping therapy when the therapist accidentally spilled alcohol on his body, causing a fire. Chyi suffered burns to his back, face and chest. According to a burns expert, second-degree burns damage the surface of the skin and the tissue beneath and while they are not life-threatening, scarring is inevitable. Though Chyi's voice was not damaged, his engagements for the next two to three months had been cancelled to allow him to recuperate.