Galleries and Translations > Recent Works / Poetry and Others > A Song of the Eight Drinking Immortals《 飲中八仙歌 》
105 X 58 cm in Clerical Script (隷書)
知章騎馬似乘船，眼花落井水底眠。汝陽三斗始朝天，
道逢(一作 “見”)麴車口流涎，恨不移封向酒泉。左相日興費萬錢，
飲如長鯨吸百川，銜杯樂聖稱避賢。宗之瀟灑美少年，
舉觴白眼望青天，皎如玉樹臨風前。蘇晉長齋繡佛前，
醉中往往愛逃禪。李白一斗詩百篇，長安市上酒家眠。
天子呼來不上船，自稱臣是酒中仙。張旭三杯草聖傳，
脫帽露頂王公前，揮毫落紙如雲煙。焦遂五斗方卓然，
高談雄辨驚四筵。
Translations
白話對譯 Vernacular Chinese
(賀)知章(酒後)騎馬搖搖晃晃似乘船，醉眼昏花跌落井中在水井底下眠。汝陽(王)(李璡) 總先喝三斗(酒) 才去朝見天子，道上遇見酒車，嘴角即時淌口水，恨不得改封前往那地方酒多如泉。左相(李適之)每日起身就花費千萬的金錢(共歡飲)，飲得有如大鯨之吸飲百川; 飲不停杯、樂逢聖世，(罷官) 說是要讓賢。(崔)宗之是灑脫超逸俊美少年，舉杯飲酒、多麼潔淨的眼睛望向青天，皎潔得有如皚雪滿枝的迎風佳樹在跟前。蘇晉長年素齋、(坐)在繡織的佛像前，醉裡往往喜愛逃出(要持酒戒的)禪。李白飲酒一斗即可寫成詩歌過百篇，(經常)在長安鬧市的酒家裡(爛醉)睡眠; (在船上的)天子呼召他前來、卻(爛醉如泥)沒法自己上船去，還自贊微臣(我) 是酒中的酒仙。張旭喝酒幾杯就成了草聖的傳人，(了無拘束地)在達官貴人面前脫掉帽子、露出頭頂，揮動毫管紙上落墨(瀟灑輕快得) 有如雲煙。焦遂飲酒五斗方始卓然不群，言談高明、雄辯滔滔，語驚四座焉!
(潘國鍵譯)
English
1. 知章騎馬似乘船，
(He, 賀) Zhizhang (知章) rides his horse, wiggling as if he is taking a boat,
2. 眼花落井水底眠。
Eyes blurred (by drunkenness), he falls into a well and sleeps at its bottommost (水底) .
3. 汝陽三斗始朝天，
Before having an audience with the Son of Heaven (朝天) (1), Rueyang (汝陽,汝陽王李璡) first pours three ladles (三斗) of wine down his throat,
4. 道逢麴車口流涎，
His mouth waters as he encounters any wine cart (麴車) (2) on the road,
5. 恨不移封向酒泉.
Oh, he cannot wait to change his fief (移封) (3) to a place where fountains of wine flow (酒泉) (4).
6. 左相日興費萬錢，
The Left Deputy Minister (左相,李適之) wakes (興) (5) every day and spends tens of thousands of dollars or so,
7. 飲如長鯨吸百川;
Empowering him to drink like a huge whale (長鯨) (6) that devours hundreds of bodies of waters (百川) (7) in one go,
8. 銜杯樂聖稱避賢.
Lips fixed to his cup (銜杯) (8) while he rejoices (樂) (9) at coming across His Majesty's royal era (聖) (10), he claims his dismissal was merely yielding (避) office to talented and virtuous souls (賢) (11).
9. 宗之瀟灑美少年，
(Cui, 崔) Zongzhi (宗之) is indeed a carefree, outstanding (瀟灑) (12), and handsome fellow,
10. 舉觴白眼望青天，
As he raises his cup (舉觴), he looks up (望) at the blue sky with his eyes of pure glow (白眼) (13),
11. 皎如玉樹臨風前.
Ah, they are as pristine (皎) as a beautiful tree receiving the wind (臨風) before you, with all its branches covered in snow (玉) (14).
12.蘇晉長齋繡佛前，
Su Jin (蘇晉) has long (長) observed a Buddhist diet (齋) (15) with an embroidered Buddha (繡佛) (16) in front of him to follow,
13. 醉中往往愛逃禪.
When drunk, he likes to break away from Zen (逃禪) (17), very much so.
14. 李白一斗詩百篇，
With only a ladle (斗) of wine, Li Bai (李白) gets hundreds of poems composed,
15. 長安市上酒家眠;
He frequents the taverns (酒家) in crowded places (市) of Chang'an (長安), sleeping with his drunk eyes closed,
16. 天子呼來不上船，
Despite the Son of Heaven (天子) commanding so, (he was so drunk that) he could not collect himself to get on the boat (18),
17. 自稱臣是酒中仙.
He even praised himself (自稱) (19) (to the Emperor), "Your humble servant is surely a being of wine who is transcendental (仙)."
18.張旭三杯草聖傳，
Zhang Xu (張旭), after several cups (三杯) of wine, conveys (傳) the manner of the "Sage of the Cursive Script" (草聖) as his brush flow (20),
19. 脫帽露頂王公前，
In front of dignitaries (王公) (21), he (casually) takes off his hat, leaving the top of his head exposed,
20. 揮毫落紙如雲煙.
He commands his brush (揮毫) as ink falls on paper (落紙), scribing like clouds and mists that freely float.
21. 焦遂五斗方卓然，
After five ladles of wine, Jiao Sui (焦遂) then becomes exceptionally remarkable (卓然) (22) ,
22. 高談雄辨驚四筵.
He speaks with great insight (高談) (23) and debates with eloquence (雄辨) (24), stunning (驚) (25) everyone sitting around him (四筵) (26) with his witty glow.
(translated by KS Vincent Poon, Sept 2026)
Remarks
(I)
Tang Dynasty's Du Fu (杜甫, 712-770 AD) composed this poem during the Tianbao period (天寶, 742-756 AD) to celebrate the eight outstanding individuals who were wine lovers in his time (27). This poem is widely known for its lively and elegant words, and thus it is scribed by many renowned calligraphers such as Zhang Ruitu (張瑞圖, 1570-1641 AD) of the Ming Dynasty (28).
(II)
Several places in the poem are often misconstrued.
First is "酒泉" in Line 5. Most think that "酒泉" refers to the prefecture of Jiuquan (酒泉郡), as the Book of Han (《漢書》) once described its underground water as tasting like wine (城下有金泉，泉味如酒) (29) . Such interpretation is unreasonable, for the alcoholic Lord Rueyan (汝陽王) desired not water that tasted like wine but great wine. Further, the prefecture of Jiuquan, an unwealthy frontier, was never known for good wine nor wine production. As such, "酒泉" here is not the place Jiuquan. Rather, it is a general description of having lots of good wine (ie., fountains of wine), as seen in Fan Chengda's (范成大, 1126-1193 AD) First Time Inviting My Neigbour to Lake Shi (《初約鄰人至石湖》 ):
"且吸湖光當酒泉." (30)"Let's take in the lights reflected on the lake in lieu of fountains of wine."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
(III)
Another common misinterpretation is "樂聖稱避賢" in Line 8.
Some contend "樂聖稱避賢" here represents "loves clear wine (樂聖) and avoids cloudy wine (避賢)", citing the idiom "clear is the saintly and cloudy is the virtuous (清聖濁賢)" originated from a tale in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三國志》) (31) . Such reasoning is flawed, for scholars and literati of the Tang favoured cloudy wine (濁酒), as Du Fu wrote:
"蒼苔濁酒林中靜，碧水春風野外昏." (32)"Green moss and cloudy wine with the wonderful tranquillity in the forest; turquoise water and spring wind with the wild's beautiful sunset."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"靑苔濁酒林中幽靜，碧水春風野外黃昏."(潘國鍵語譯)
and
"艱難苦恨繁霜鬢，潦倒新停濁酒杯." (33)"Living is so arduous and agonising (苦恨) that many hairs on my temple have turned to a white shine, so senile (潦倒) am I that I recently have to give up cups of cloudy wine."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"生活艱難苦惱多白鬢，衰老新近停了飲濁酒."(潘國鍵語譯)
Cloudy wine (濁酒) was actually highly respected in traditional Chinese culture, as it was a metaphor for breaking away from fame and fortune, a commendable temperament that was very much celebrated. Such respect probably emerged from the admiration for the revered and reclusive Tao Yuanming (陶淵明, 365-427AD) of the Jin Dynasty, who once wrote in his Twenty Poems on Drinking (《飲酒二十首》):
"雖無揮金事，濁酒聊可恃." (34)"Although I bear no extravagant affairs that require spending a lot of money, I am glad to (聊) still have cloudy wine to rely on (恃) faithfully."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"雖無揮霍奢華事，卻有濁酒願憑持."(潘國鍵語譯)
Cloudy wine (濁酒) was then used by subsequent literati to express the high-mindedness of seeking a simple and unmaterialistic life, for instance:
I. 《初晴抱琴登馬退山對酒望遠醉後作》by Dugu Ji (獨孤及, 726-777AD):"人生幾何時，太半百憂煎. 今日羈愁破，始知濁酒賢." (35)"How long is life actually? Most of it (太半) is just bearing the torture (煎) of hundreds of anxieties. Today, breaking through all these burdening sorrows (羈愁) completely, I truly understand the cloudy wine's beauty (賢)."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"人生有多久? 大半是受著百憂的煎熬。今日束縛之愁解破了，才懂得濁酒的美善."(潘國鍵語譯)
II. 《三月二十七日自撫州往南城縣舟行見拂水薔薇因有是作》by Han Wo (韓偓, 842-923 AD):"且將濁酒伴清吟，酒逸吟狂輕宇宙." (36)"Let's take our cloudy wine to accompany our elegant singing (清吟) ; in the midst of our drinking leisure (酒逸) , we shall freely sing (吟狂) and belittle (輕) all the Universe's things (宇宙) ."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"且把濁酒伴隨清詠，酒閑詠恣輕視天下."(潘國鍵語譯)
III. 《臨江仙》by Yang Shen's (楊慎, 1488-1559):"白髮漁樵江渚上，慣看秋月春風. 一壺濁酒喜相逢. 古今多少事，都付笑談中!" (37)"An old fisherman (漁) and an elderly wood logger (樵) are on a patch (渚) upon a river, both accustomed to appreciating the autumn moons and the spring breeze. A bottle of cloudy wine is shared as the two joyously meet. Countless affairs of the past and present shall be relegated to amusing gossips indeed!"(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Clearly, cloudy wine was widely loved and not disdained, and so "避賢" here cannot be "avoids cloudy wine". Instead, it refers to Li Shizhi's own excuse for being dismissed from office ── "I was just yielding (避) office to talented and virtuous souls (賢)", which has nothing to do with wine.
(IV)
Accordingly, "樂聖" here cannot be related to wine. It should be "rejoices (樂) at coming across the royal era (聖)", as in:
I. 《甘州遍•春光好》 by Mao Wenxi’s (毛文錫, 10th century AD)："堯年舜日，樂聖永無憂." (38)"During the reigns of Yao (堯) and Shun (舜), all rejoiced (樂) at coming across their royal eras (聖), for there was never any hardship or worry."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"堯舜之時，樂逢聖世，永無憂患."(潘國鍵語譯)II. 《擬李靖破頡利可汗露布》 by Wang Yucheng (王禹偁, 954-1001 AD)：
"臣等無任樂聖戴天抃舞懽呼之至." (39)"We, your humble servants, cannot possibly bear the rejoicing (樂) of coming across Your Majesty's royal era (聖)and the fortune given by Heaven's grace (戴天). So, we clap our hands and dance (抃舞) to applaud and cheer (懽呼) all the way to the fullest extent."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"微臣等人不勝樂逢聖世蒙受天恩，拍手跳舞歡呼之極!"(潘國鍵語譯)
Both "避賢" and "樂聖" in this poem are thus not connected to drinking. This conclusion is further supported by Li Shizhi's own words in his satirical poem Writings at the Time of Being Dismissed From Office (《罷相作》):
"避賢初罷相，樂聖且銜杯!""As I wished to yield (避) office to a talented and virtuous soul (賢), I was just (初) granted by His Majesty to be dismissed (罷) from my ministerial role (相); I thus rejoiced (樂) at coming across His Majesty's royal era (聖), with (且) lips fixed (銜) to my cup, drinking without control!"(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"為了退讓賢才，剛剛給罷免了相位; 際此樂逢聖世、又當飲不停杯!"(潘國鍵語譯)
(V)
Some argue that clear wine first appeared during the Tang Dynasty and that drinkers thereafter preferred it to cloudy wine, which justifies that "避賢" means "avoids cloudy wine". This is completely incorrect, for clear wine already appeared in the literature before the 6th Century BC, long before the Tang Dynasty, as documented in Classics of Poetry (《詩經》):
"祭以清酒." (40)"Clear wine was presented during offering ceremonies."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Obviously, clear wine (清酒) already existed and was a familiar item in ancient China.
(VI)
"玉樹臨風" in line 11 is often just interpreted as "handsome and carefree (英俊瀟灑)" without any detailed explanation.
"玉樹" here means "a tree that is covered in snow", as in Li Bai's (李白, 701-762 AD) 《對雪獻從兄虞城宰》:
"庭前看玉樹，腸斷憶連枝." (41)"In front of the courtyard, I saw a snow-covered (玉) tree; with heartbreaking sorrow (腸斷), I thought of my paternal cousin (連枝) (42) dearly."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
"院子前面看見白雪覆蓋的樹，悲痛地思念著血脈相連的堂兄你."(潘國鍵語譯)
"臨風" here means "receiving the wind", as in Lu Zhaolin's (盧照鄰, 634-689 AD)《山莊休沐》:
"玉軫臨風奏，瓊漿映月攜." (43)"Receiving the wind (臨風), a luxurious string instrument (玉軫) plays graciously; within the shining moonlight (映月), I hold great wine (瓊漿) in company (攜)."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"玉琴迎風而奏，月色映照把著美酒."(潘國鍵語譯)
"玉樹" and "臨風" together only describe a pristine, harmonious, eye-catching, and pleasing scenery. "玉樹臨風" itself does not carry any meaning of "a handsome man". Du Fu applied "玉樹臨風" merely as an adjective to characterise Zongzhi's marvellous good looks. To interpret "玉樹臨風" as "a handsome man" in this poem is therefore quite odd.
(VII)
Some believe "逃禪" in "醉中往往愛逃禪" in line 13 means "breaking away from worldly affairs and taking up Zen (遁世參禪入佛)". Such an interpretation makes very little sense: why would a happily drunk (醉中) Su Jin desire to practice more Zen, which strictly forbids drinking?
Rather than "taking up Zen", "逃禪" actually means the opposite ── "breaking away from Zen", as annotated by Ming scholar Wang Sishi (王嗣奭, 1566-1648 AD):
"醉酒而悖其教，故曰逃禪. 後人以學佛者為逃禪，誤." (44)"(Su Jin) was drunk, and so he went against Zen teachings, and thus was called 'breaking away from Zen (逃禪)'. People in later eras believed that '逃禪' means 'taking up Zen'. They are all incorrect."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
In literary usage, "逃禪" follows the identical syntax of the terms "逃墨 (breaking away from Mozu 墨子)" and "逃楊 (breaking away from Yang Zu 楊子)", as elaborated by Qing scholar Qiu Zhao'ao (仇兆鼇, 1638-1717 AD) in his authoritative Du Shi Xiang Zhu (《杜詩詳注》):
"持齋而仍好飲，晉非真禪，直逃禪耳. 逃禪，猶云逃墨、逃楊，是逃而出，非逃而入.” (45)"(蘇晉, Su Jin) adopted a Buddhist diet yet still loved drinking, which indicated that Jin (晉) was not at all a genuine Zen practitioner, and so certainly he was 'breaking away from Zen (逃禪)'. The term 'breaking away from Zen (逃禪)' is akin to the terms 'breaking away from Mozu (逃墨)' and 'breaking away from Yang Zu (逃楊)'; '逃' here is 'breaking away', not 'taking up'."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Accordingly, Ding Fubao (丁福保, 1874-1952 AD) wrote in his A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms (《佛學大辭典》):
"逃禪: 猶云逃墨逃楊." (46)"逃禪: such is like saying 逃墨 (breaking away from Mozu) and 逃楊 (breaking away from Yang Zu)'."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
(VIII)
In the Complete Tang Poems (《全唐詩》), besides A Song of the Eight Drinking Immortals (《飲中八仙歌》), "逃禪" can only be found in Inscribed on the Temple's Wall (《題寺壁》), which is allegedly written by Mou Rong (牟融) of the Tang:
"聞道此中堪遁跡，肯容一榻學逃禪." (47)
"I have heard (聞道), in this temple, one can (堪) truly escape and focus the mind to transcend (遁跡); so how (肯) can it possibly allow (容) anyone to sit on a couch (一榻) and follow (學) breaking away from Zen (逃禪)?"(translated by KS Vincent Poon)"聽說在這裏能夠(全心)遁跡空門，豈會容許在(家中)榻上(修行卻)效人去逃出(要持酒戒的)禪?"(潘國鍵語譯)
"逃禪" in Inscribed on the Temple's Wall (《題寺壁》) is likely a direct import from A Song of the Eight Drinking Immortals (《飲中八仙歌》). This is for three good reasons. First, "逃禪" only appeared in these two poems in the entire Complete Tang Poems (《全唐詩》). Second, Inscribed on the Temple's Wall was composed much later than A Song of the Eight Drinking Immortals. Third, the literary context (語境) to which "逃禪" was applied is almost identical: in Inscribed on the Temple's Wall, it was applied to a person who was sitting on a couch (一榻); in A Song of the Eight Drinking Immortals, it was applied to Su Jin, who was sitting in front of a Buddha (繡佛前). As such, both "逃禪" should have the same meaning.
Surprisingly, nearly everyone mistakenly thought "逃禪" in "肯容一榻學逃禪" must mean "taking up Zen (參禪入佛)". Their mistake lies in either omitting or misinterpreting "肯" at the very beginning of the phrase. "肯" here actually represents "how (豈)", a rhetorical word (反問詞), which makes "肯容一榻學逃禪" a rhetorical question (反問句). Thus, "how can it allow (肯容)" is actually pivotal to interpreting "逃禪" correctly here.
(IX)
Another phrase that almost everyone has misinterpreted is "天子呼來不上船" in Line 16.
Many thought Li Bai (李白) was so carefree and bold (瀟灑豪邁) that he once defied the Emperor's command ordering him to get on the boat (天子召他也不肯上船). "不" in this phrase is actually not "不肯登 (refuse to board)" but "不能自己登 (unable to board by himself)", as Li was so drunk that he needed Gao Lishi (高力士, 684-762 AD) to help him board the boat, as documented in Fan Chuanzheng's (范傳正, 8th Century AD) The New Tombstone of the Honorable Imperial Oversight of the Left, Scholar of the Hanlin Academy, the revered Mr Li (《贈左拾遺翰林學士李公新墓碑》) :
"泛白蓮池，公不在宴. 皇歡既洽，召公作序. 時公已被酒於翰苑中，仍命高將軍扶以登舟，優寵如是." (48)
"(The Emperor was) on a boat touring the White Lotus Pond (白蓮池), and he (Li Bai) was not present for the party. The Emperor was in a cheerful mood and summoned him to write a chronicle. At that time, he (Li Bai) was already quite drunk at the Hanlin Academy (翰苑), but the Emperor still ordered 'General' Gao (高將軍,高力士) to carry him on board the boat ── (Li Bai) was favoured and privileged to such a degree."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Hence, declaring that Li disobeyed the Emperor here is flawed.
(X)
A similar error can also be found in interpreting "張旭三杯草聖傳" in Line 18.
Citing this phrase, most incorrectly crowned Zhang Xu (張旭) as the formal "Sage of the Cursive Script (草聖)". Their fault lies in omitting to interpret the word "conveys (傳)" at the very end of the phrase. Du Fu merely meant that a drunk Zhang Xu truly "conveyed" the art of Zhang Zhi (張芝, ?-194 AD), the one and only "Sage of the Cursive Script (草聖)". For further discussion on this topic, please see KS Vincent Poon & Kwok Kin Poon's English Translation of Classical Chinese Calligraphy Masterpieces (英譯法書) (49).
Of course, "Sage of the Cursive Script (草聖)" may be used by one to pay respect to persons who scribe outstanding cursive scripts (e.g., to Huai Su, 懷素, another cursive script master). This sort of usage can be observed during the Liang period of the Southern Dynasties (502- 557 AD), when Xu Xixiu (徐希秀, ?-?) called Wang Zhi (王志, 460-513 AD) "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)" (50). Such usage can only be regarded as a sign of respect (尊敬), not as a unique formal title that is assigned exclusively to one exceptional person (獨一稱號).
KS Vincent Poon, Sept 2026
_______________
(1) "朝天" here means "having an audience with the Son of Heaven", as in 王維《聞逆賊凝碧池作樂》： "萬戶傷心生野煙，百僚何日更朝天." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1312.
(2) "麴車" here means "wine cart (酒車)", as in 耶律楚材《西域從王君玉乞茶因其韻》： "酒仙飄逸不知茶，可笑流涎見麴車." Ibid., p.1024.
(3) "移封" here means "changing one's fief (改換封地)". Ibid., p.77.
(4) "酒泉" here is a general description of having lots of good wine (ie., fountains of wine) and is often misinterpreted as the prefecture "酒泉". Please see Remarks (II) for more elaborations.
(5) "興" here means "wake (起身)", as in 《詩•衛風•氓》："夙興夜寐，靡有朝矣." 鄭玄箋： "早起夜臥." See《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p.131.
(6) "長鯨" here means "a huge whale (大鯨)", as in 左思《吳都賦》： "長鯨吞航，修鯢吐浪." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.608.
(7) "百川" here is "a collective term for bodies of waters (江河湖澤的總稱)", as in《詩•小雅•十月之交》： "百川沸騰，山塚崒崩." Ibid., p.221.
(8) "銜杯" here means "lips fixed to the wine cup (口含酒杯)", as in 劉伶《酒德頌》： "捧罌承槽，銜杯漱醪." Ibid., p.1065.
(9) For detailed elaborations on "樂聖" and "避賢", please see Remarks (III), (IV), and (V).
(10) Ibid..
(11) Ibid..
(12) "瀟灑" here means "carefree and outstanding (灑脫不拘、超逸絕俗)", as in 李白《王右軍》：" 右軍本淸眞，瀟灑出風塵." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.206.
(13) "白" here means "pure (潔淨)", as in 《易•說卦》： "巽爲木……爲白、爲長、爲高。"孔穎達疏：”爲白，取其風吹去塵，故潔白也.” Ibid., p. 163. Many though "白眼" here refers to sclera of the eye. That is incorrect.
(14) For further elaboration on "玉樹臨風", please see Remarks (VI).
(15) "長齋" here refers to "having long followed a Buddhist Diet, which is fasting after the noon hour. Later, it refers to a vegan diet (謂佛教徒長期堅持過午不食. 後多指長期素食)". An example can be seen in《東陽雙林寺傅大士碑》：”自修禪遠壑，絶粒長齋.” See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.607.
(16) "繡佛" here means "a portrait of Buddha that is made from and embroidered with colourful silk threads (用彩色絲線繡成的佛像)", as in《舊唐書∙蕭瑀傳》: "太宗以瑀好佛道，嘗賚繡佛像一軀，幷繡瑀形狀於佛像側，以爲供養之容." Ibid., p.1037.
(17) "逃禪" here means "breaking away from Zen". One of the five precepts in Zen Buddhism is the strict prohibition of drinking. For further elaboration, please see Remarks (VII) and (VIII).
(18) This phrase is often misinterpreted. Please see Remarks (IX).
(19) "自稱" here means "praising oneself (自我稱揚)", as in《國語•周語中》："君子不自稱也，非以讓也，惡其蓋人也." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1333.
(20) This phrase is usually incorrectly applied to justify Zhang Xu (張旭, 685-759 AD) is the official "Sage of the Cursive Calligraphy (草聖)". For further discussion of this error, please see Remarks (X).
(21) "王公" here refers to "dignitaries that are decreed honorable titles like Dukes and Lords or those who are in high office (被封爲王爵和公爵者, 亦泛指達官貴人)", as in 韓愈《荊潭唱和詩》序： "至若王公貴人，氣滿志得，非性能而好之，則不暇以爲." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.455.
(22) "卓然" here means "exceptionally remarkable (卓越貌)", as in 劉向《說苑•建本》："塵埃之外，卓然獨立，超然絶世，此上聖之所遊神也." Ibid., p.851.
(23) "高談" here means "speaking with great insight (高明的談吐)", as in 梁蕭統《講解將畢賦三十韻詩依次用》："高談屬時勝，寡聞終自恧." Ibid., p.958.
(24) "辨" here is "debate (辯論)", as in 《禮記•鄕飲酒義》： "不慢不爭，則遠於鬭辨矣." Ibid., p.493.
(25) "驚" here means "stunning (驚訝)", as in《莊子•達生》： "梓慶削木爲鐻，鐻成，見者驚猶鬼神." Ibid., p.884.
(26) "四筵" here refers to "everyone sitting around oneself (四周座上的人)", as in宋謝瞻《九日從宋公戲馬臺集送孔令》: "四筵霑芳醴，中堂起絲桐." Ibid., p.592. Some took "四筵" merely as "everyone at a feast". Such is not entirely correct.
(27) 仇兆鰲, 《杜詩詳注》 Vol. 2. Beijing: 中華書局, 1979, p.81.
(28) 劉正成,《中國書法全集》Vol. 55. Beijing: 榮寶齋出版社, 1997, p.122.
(29) 班固,《漢書》Vol. 28, 地理志. Hong Kong: 中華書局, 1970, p.1614.
(30) 范成大, 《石湖詩集》Vol. 11. 欽定四庫全書集部四, 乾隆四十四年版, p.6b.
(31) 陳壽,《三國志》 「魏志」 Vol. 27, 徐邈傳. Taipei: 中華書局, 1968, 冊二卷27，p.1.
(32) 曹寅,《全唐詩》Vol. 227. Beijing: 中華書局, 1979, p.2451.
(33) Ibid., p.2468.
(34) 龔斌, 《陶淵明集校箋》. Shanghai: 上海古籍出版社, 1996, p. 246.
(35) As in footnote (32), Vol. 246, p.2766.
(36) Ibid., Vol. 680, p.7795.
(37) Poon KS Vincent, Calligraphy Meets Philosophy - Talk 2 (尚語 ∙第二話). Toronto: The SenSeis, 2023, p.26.
(38) As in footnote (32), Vol. 893, p.10089.
(39) 王禹偁, 《小畜外集》 Vol. 11. 欽定四庫全書集部, publication date unknown, p.7b.
(40) 朱熹,《詩經集註》. Hong Kong: 廣智書局, publication year unknown, p.122.
(41) As in footnote (32), Vol. 169, p.1742.
(42) "連枝" here refers to an elder male cousin who shares the same paternal family tree (從兄/堂兄).
(43) As in footnote (32), Vol. 42, p.527.
(44) As in footnote (27), p.83.
(45) Ibid..
(46) 丁福保, 《佛學大辭典》. Taipei: 華藏淨宗學會, 2012, p.1766.
(47) As in footnote (32), Vol. 467, p.5317.
(48) 董誥, 《欽定全唐文》Vol. 640. 嘉慶十九年版, pp.10b-11a.
(50) Both History of the Southern Dynasties - Biography of Wang Zhi (《南史•王志傳》) as well as the Book of Liang - Biography of Wang Zhi (《梁書•王志傳》) documented Xu Xixiu (徐希秀) called Wang Zhi (王志) "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)": "志善草隸，當時以爲楷法. 齊遊擊將軍徐希秀亦號能書， 常謂志爲書聖." See 李延壽,《南史》Vol.22, 王志傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1975, p.608 & 姚思廉,《梁書》 Vol. 21, 王志傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1973, p.320.
Obviously, the one and only "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)" throughout Chinese history is Wang Xizhi (王羲之). Thus, Xu's usage here should be regarded only as a sign of respect, not as the unique formal title that is assigned to one exceptional person.
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