The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties are four Chinese women who were renowned for their beauty. The four are usually identified as Xi Shi , Wang Zhaojun , Diaochan , and Yang Yuhuan . Among them, Diaochan is a fictional character while the rest have been greatly embellished by legend . They gained their reputation from the influence they exercised over powerful men and, consequently, their impact on Chinese history .
117-585: One of the earliest references to qualities later associated with the canonical Four Great Beauties appears in the Zhuangzi . In one chapter, the women Mao Qiang and Lady Li are described as "great beauties" who "when fish see them they dart into the depths, when birds see them they soar into the skies, when deer see them they bolt away without looking back". This passage is the source of the well-known Chinese idiom "to make fish sink and birds fall", which refers to feminine beauty (see 沉魚落雁 ). Xi Shi lived around
234-545: A Zhuangzi composed of 52 chapters, as attested by the Book of Han in 111 AD, to have been the original form of the text. During the late 1st century BC, the entire Han imperial library—including its edition of the Zhuangzi —was subject to considerable redaction and standardization by the polymath Liu Xiang (77–6 BC) and his son Liu Xin ( c. 46 BC – AD 23). All extant copies of
351-458: A "classic" per se, due to its non-Confucian nature. Throughout Chinese history, the Zhuangzi remained the pre-eminent expression of core Taoist ideals. The 17th-century scholar Gu Yanwu lamented the flippant use of the Zhuangzi on the imperial examination essays as representing a decline in traditional morals at the end of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Jia Baoyu , the main protagonist of
468-490: A Buddhist shrine and allow her a forced suicide , considered a more dignified death than outright execution. After he showed the body to Chen and the other imperial guard generals, the guard soldiers finally scattered and prepared for further movement. Meanwhile, Yang Guozhong's wife Pei Rou, son Yang Xi ( 楊晞 ), the Lady of Guo, and the Lady of Guo's son Pei Hui ( 裴徽 ) tried to flee, but were killed in flight. Yang's biography in
585-582: A Han beauty as his wife as part of the marriage alliance system between the Han dynasty and the Xiongnu. The new emperor, Emperor Huan , ordered that the plainest woman from the harem be given to Huhanye, and so Wang Zhaojun was chosen, based on her unflattering portrait. The artist Mao Yanshou was subsequently executed for deceiving the Emperor. Diaochan is a fictional character in the Ming novel Romance of
702-538: A concubine of Lü. The fictional details about her life were added over the centuries. Yang Guifei lived in the 8th century and was the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang . She was said to have had a face that put all flowers to shame. Emperor Xuanzong doted on her so much that she was able to persuade him to make her cousin, Yang Guozhong , leading chancellor. During the An Lushan Rebellion , as Emperor Xuanzong and his cortege were fleeing from
819-402: A coup attempt at Chang'an, and although Emperor Xuanzong, at the plea of Li LInfu, initially took no action against Wang Hong and Wang Han, he expected Wang Hong to offer to be punished, but Wang Hong did not, drawing Emperor Xuanzong's anger. Li Linfu's fellow chancellor Chen Xilie and Yang then both accused Wang Hong of treason, and Wang Hong was forced to commit suicide, depriving Li Linfu of
936-499: A fish; so the case is complete that you do not know that the fish are happy." 莊子曰：請循其本。子曰汝安知魚樂云者，既已知吾知之而問我，我知之濠上也。 Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to the beginning of this. You said, How do you know that the fish are happy; but in asking me this, you already knew that I know it. I know it right here above the Hao." The precise point Zhuang Zhou intends to make in the debate is not entirely clear. The text appears to stress that "knowing"
1053-533: A gift and also gave him many impressive items from the region and had him take them to Chang'an. Once Yang Zhao arrived at Chang'an, he gave the bribe from Zhangqiu to Consort Yang's sisters and two of her powerful cousins, Yang Xian ( 楊銛 ) and Yang Qi ( 楊錡 ), and further resumed his affair with one of her sisters. The sisters and cousins of Consort Yang thus repeatedly praised and recommended both Zhangqiu and Yang Zhao, and further pointed out to Emperor Xuanzong Yang Zhao's abilities to entertain by gambling. Yang Zhao
1170-588: A junior member of the family, of Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure with Yang Shenjin over Yang Shenjin's involvement with a sorcerer named Shi Jingzhong ( 史敬忠 ). Li Linfu then induced Wang to make accusations against Yang Shenjin, who was a descendant of Sui emperors, of plotting to overthrow Tang and restore Sui. As a result, Yang Shenjin and his brothers Yang Shenyu ( 楊慎餘 ) and Yang Shenming ( 楊慎名 ) were forced to commit suicide, and many of their friends and family members were exiled. Meanwhile, Li Linfu, having unsuccessfully supported Emperor Xuanzong's son Li Mao ( 李瑁 )
1287-408: A major ally. Wang's post as mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆府, encompassing Chang'an) went to Yang. Yang then had the captives from Wang Han's failed coup implicate Li Linfu, and also had Chen and Geshu Han implicate Li Linfu in the rebellion of the ethnically Tujue general Li Xianzhong ( 李獻忠 ). Li Linfu tried to defuse the threat by requesting that Yang be sent to Jiannan to personally oversee
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#17327658519921404-455: A military officer. His mother Lady Zhang was a sister of Wu Zetian 's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong . Yang Zhao himself was said to lack knowledge and virtues. He was a heavy drinker and gambler, and was looked down upon by his own clan members. Motivated by this slight, Yang decided to join the army, and ended up serving in the army stationed at Yi Prefecture (益州, roughly modern Chengdu , Sichuan ). For his military service, he
1521-409: A petition on their behalf, claiming that the accusations from Yang were false, but Emperor Xuanzong took no actions against either An or Yang. In spring 755, however, the matters were beginning to come to a head. When An submitted a petition to have thirty-two non-Han generals under him replace Han generals, Emperor Xuanzong immediately agreed, despite stern arguments from Yang and Wei Jiansu that this
1638-446: A separate army command to the front as well to watch Geshu, and Geshu, in turn apprehensive that Yang was going to act against him, found an excuse to execute Du, further causing Yang's suspicions. Yang therefore had Emperor Xuanzong order Geshu to engage An's forward commander Cui Qianyou ( 崔乾祐 ), despite Geshu's repeated protestations that a battle was inadvisable. Once the armies engaged, Tang forces were crushed by Cui's forces; Geshu
1755-622: A thing is simply a state of mind: moreover, that it is not possible to determine whether "knowing" has any objective meaning. This sequence has been cited as an example of Zhuang Zhou's mastery of language, with reason subtly employed in order to make an anti-rationalist point. A passage in chapter 18 describes Zhuang Zhou's reaction following the death of his wife, expressing a view of death as something not to be feared. 莊子妻死，惠子弔之，莊子則方箕踞鼓盆而歌。惠子曰：與人居長子，老身死，不哭亦足矣，又鼓盆而歌，不亦甚乎。 Zhuangzi's wife died. When Huizi went to convey his condolences, he found Zhuangzi sitting with his legs sprawled out, pounding on
1872-458: A tub and singing. "You lived with her, she brought up your children and grew old," said Huizi. "It should be enough simply not to weep at her death. But pounding on a tub and singing—this is going too far, isn't it?" 莊子曰：不然。是其始死也，我獨何能無概然。察其始而本無生，非徒無生也，而本無形，非徒無形也，而本無氣。雜乎芒芴之間，變而有氣，氣變而有形，形變而有生，今又變而之死，是相與為春秋冬夏四時行也。 Zhuangzi said, "You're wrong. When she first died, do you think I didn't grieve like anyone else? But I looked back to her beginning and
1989-469: Is an ancient Chinese text that is one of the foundational texts of Taoism , alongside the Tao Te Ching , Neiye , Wenzi and Liezi . It was written during the late Warring States period (476–221 BC) and is named for its traditional author, Zhuang Zhou , who is customarily known as "Zhuangzi" ("Master Zhuang"). The Zhuangzi consists of stories and maxims that exemplify the nature of
2106-493: Is believed to be a close copy of a 7th-century annotated edition written by the Chinese Taoist master Cheng Xuanying . Topics Neo Confucianism New Confucianism Topics The Zhuangzi consists of anecdotes , allegories , parables , and fables that are often humorous or irreverent in nature. Most of these are fairly short and simple, such as the humans "Lickety" and "Split" drilling seven holes into
2223-403: Is concretely known of Zhuang Zhou's life. Most what is known comes from the Zhuangzi itself, which was subject to changes in later centuries. Most historians place his birth around 369 BC in a place called Meng ( 蒙 ) in the historical state of Song , near present-day Shangqiu , Henan. His death is variously placed at 301, 295, or 286 BC. Zhuang Zhou is thought to have spent time in
2340-448: Is depicted in chapter 32, pointing to the body of lore that grew up around him in the decades following his death. It serves to embody and reaffirm the ideas attributed to Zhuang Zhou throughout the previous chapters. 莊子將死，弟子欲厚葬之。莊子曰：吾以天地為棺槨，以日月為連璧，星辰為珠璣，萬物為齎送。吾葬具豈不備邪。何以加此。 When Master Zhuang was about to die, his disciples wanted to give him a lavish funeral. Master Zhuang said: "I take heaven and earth as my inner and outer coffins,
2457-422: Is full of quirky and fantastic character archetypes, such as "Mad Stammerer", "Fancypants Scholar", "Sir Plow", and a man who fancies that his left arm will turn into a rooster, his right arm will turn into a crossbow, and his buttocks will become cartwheels. A master of language, Zhuang Zhou sometimes engages in logic and reasoning, but then turns it upside down or carries the arguments to absurdity to demonstrate
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#17327658519922574-457: Is still assumed by many modern scholars. The original authorship of the remaining 26 chapters has been the subject of perennial debate: they were divided by Guo into 15 'outer chapters' ( 外篇 ; wàipiān ) and 11 'miscellaneous chapters' ( 雜篇 ; zápiān ). Today, it is generally accepted that the outer and miscellaneous chapters were the result of a process of "accretion and redaction" in which later authors "[responded] to
2691-483: Is that Goujian killed her by drowning her because he was afraid that he too would be mesmerized by her beauty. The second was that she eventually came together with her lover Fan Li and they lived in seclusion together. Wang Zhaojun was born around 50 BCE, during the Western Han dynasty . Again reflecting the Zhuangzi , she was said to be so beautiful that her appearance would entice birds in flight to fall from
2808-466: Is unclear whether Zhuang Zhou's positions amount to a form of anarchism . Western scholars have noted strong anti- rationalist themes present throughout the Zhuangzi . Whereas reason and logic as understood in Ancient Greek philosophy proved foundational to the entire Western tradition, Chinese philosophers often preferred to rely on moral persuasion and intuition. Throughout Chinese history,
2925-636: The Bibliothèque nationale de France . The Zhuangzi fragments among the manuscripts constitute approximately twelve chapters of Guo Xiang's edition. A Zhuangzi manuscript dating to the Muromachi period (1338–1573) is preserved in the Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto ; it is considered one of Japan's national treasures. The manuscript has seven complete selections from the outer and miscellaneous chapters, and
3042-626: The Old Book of Tang commented, with regard to Yang's misjudgment of the situation at Tong Pass: At that time, while An Lushan controlled the Yellow River and Luoyang, his soldiers were only able to reach as far east as the Liang and Song region to the east [(i.e., modern eastern Henan )] and the Xu and Deng region to the south [(i.e., modern southeastern Henan)]. Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi were leading
3159-694: The Han dynasty , Ruan Ji and Tao Yuanming during the Six Dynasties , Li Bai during the Tang dynasty , to Su Shi and Lu You in the Song dynasty were "deeply imbued with the ideas and artistry of the Zhuangzi ". Traces of the Zhuangzi ' s influence in late Warring States period philosophical texts such as the Guanzi , Han Feizi , and Lüshi Chunqiu suggest that Zhuang Zhou's intellectual lineage
3276-603: The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove —admired the work; an essay authored by Ruan entitled "Discourse on Summing Up the Zhuangzi " ( 達莊論 ; Dá Zhuāng lùn ) is still extant. The Zhuangzi has been called "the most important of all the Daoist writings", with the inner chapters embodying the core ideas of philosophical Taoism. During the 4th century AD, the Zhuangzi became a major source of imagery and terminology for
3393-554: The Shangqing School , a new form of Taoism that had become popular among the aristocracy of the Jin dynasty (266–420) . Shangqing School Taoism borrowed numerous terms from the Zhuangzi , such as "perfected man" ( 真人 ; zhēnrén ), "Great Clarity" ( 太清 ; Tài Qīng ), and "fasting the mind" ( 心齋 ; xīn zhāi ). While their use of these terms was distinct from that found in the Zhuangzi itself, their incidence still demonstrates
3510-589: The Tibetan Empire , who had followed Emperor Xuanzong south, were meeting with Yang Guozhong and complaining that they were also not fed. The imperial guard soldiers took this opportunity to proclaim that Yang Guozhong was planning treason along with the Tibetan emissaries, and they killed him, along with his son Yang Xuan ( 楊暄 ), the Ladies of Han and Qin, and Wei Fangjin. Wei Jiansu was also nearly killed, but
3627-486: The Zhuangzi by name, but cites it for one-sixth of the poem. The Six Dynasties period (AD 220–589) that followed the collapse of the Han dynasty saw Confucianism temporarily surpassed by a resurgence of interest in Taoism and old divination texts such as the I Ching , with many poets, artists, and calligraphers of this period drawing influence from the Zhuangzi . The poets Ruan Ji and Xi Kang —both members of
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3744-410: The Zhuangzi generally pertain to what governments should not do, rather than what they should do or how they may be reformed. The text seems to oppose formal government, viewing it as fundamentally problematic due to "the opposition between man and nature". Zhuang Zhou attempts to illustrate that "as soon as government intervenes in natural affairs, it destroys all possibility of genuine happiness". It
3861-712: The Zhuangzi have been found among the bamboo slip texts discovered in tombs dating to the early Han dynasty , particularly at the Shuanggudui site near Fuyang in Anhui , and the Mount Zhangjia site near Jingzhou in Hubei . The earlier Guodian Chu Slips —unearthed near Jingmen , Hubei, and dating to the Warring States period c. 300 BC —contain what appears to be a short fragment parallel to
3978-587: The Zhuangzi include a distrust of language and logic, an insistence that the "Way" can be found in everything, even dung and urine, and a fondness for dialogues based on koans . In 742, an imperial proclamation from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ( r. 712–756 ) canonized the Zhuangzi as one of the Chinese classics , awarding it the honorific title 'True Scripture of Southern Florescence' ( 南華真經 ; Nánhuá zhēnjīng ). Nevertheless, most scholars throughout Chinese history did not consider it as being
4095-412: The Zhuangzi significantly informed skepticism towards rationalism. In the text, Zhuang Zhou frequently turns logical arguments upside-down in order to satirize and discredit them. However, according to Mair he does not abandon language and reason altogether, but "only wishe[s] to point out that over-dependence on them could limit the flexibility of thought". Confucius himself is a recurring character in
4212-472: The Zhuangzi ultimately derive from a version that was further edited and redacted to 33 chapters by Guo Xiang c. 300 AD , who worked from the material previously edited by Liu. Guo plainly stated that he had made considerable edits to the outer and miscellaneous chapters in an attempt to preserve Zhuang Zhou's original ideas from later distortions, in a way that "did not hesitate to impose his personal understanding and philosophical preferences on
4329-460: The Zhuangzi —that is, waiting for nothing—is the only viable mindset for the German people in the wake of the failure of national socialism and Germany's comprehensive defeat. Yang Guozhong Yang Guozhong ( traditional Chinese : 楊國忠 ; simplified Chinese : 杨国忠 ; pinyin : Yáng Guózhōng ; Wade–Giles : Yang Kuochung ) (died July 15, 756 ), né Yang Zhao ( 楊釗 ),
4446-525: The eunuch Gao Lishi and Emperor Xuanzong's son-in-law Zhang Ji ( 張垍 ) protecting him, Li Heng was not implicated. As of 748, Yang Zhao carried some fifteen office titles, the chief among which were imperial censor and director of accounting in the ministry of treasury (度支郎中, Duzhi Langzhong ). In 748, Emperor Xuanzong further made him Jishizhong ( 給事中 ), an imperial attendant, as well as deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng ), but Yang Zhao continued to be in charge of accounting as well at
4563-602: The "Ransacking Coffers" chapter ( 胠篋 , No. 10 of 33). The Dunhuang manuscripts , discovered during the early 20th century by the Hungarian-British explorer Aurel Stein and the French sinologist Paul Pelliot , contain numerous Zhuangzi fragments dating to the early Tang dynasty. Stein and Pelliot took most of the manuscripts back to Europe; they are presently held at the British Library and
4680-466: The 18th and 19th centuries. Outside of East Asia, the Zhuangzi is not as popular as the Tao Te Ching and is rarely known by non-scholars. A number of prominent scholars have attempted to bring the Zhuangzi to wider attention among Western readers. In 1939, the British sinologist Arthur Waley described it as "one of the most entertaining as well as one of the profoundest books in the world". In
4797-581: The 7th to the 6th centuries BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period . Similar to the story in the Zhuangzi , she was said to be so entrancingly beautiful that fishes would forget how to swim and sink below the surface upon seeing her reflection in the water. Xi Shi was from Zhuji , the capital of the Ancient Yue Kingdom . Goujian , the King of Yue, had surrendered to the rival state of Wu , with
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4914-519: The Four Beauties. The exact origin of these idioms is debated. These separate idioms are sometimes merged to describe especially beautiful women or simply to refer to the Four Beauties' legendary good looks. The merged idiom is 沉魚落雁，閉月羞花 (sinks fish and entices birds to fall, eclipses the moon and shames flowers); the two parts can also be used separately. Zhuangzi (book) The Zhuangzi (historically romanized Chuang Tzŭ )
5031-581: The Nanzhao campaign, and Emperor Xuanzong sent Yang to Jiannan, despite Yang's pleas and Consort Yang's pleas on his behalf. Emperor Xuanzong, however, promised to make him chancellor, and recalled him as soon as he reached Jiannan. When he returned to Chang'an, Li Linfu was gravely ill, and tried to ingratiate Yang by pointing out that Yang would be chancellor and entrusting his household to Yang. Upon Li Linfu's death, however, Yang induced Li Linfu's son-in-law Yang Qixuan ( 楊齊宣 ) into corroborating that Li Linfu
5148-489: The Prince of Shou to be crown prince (with Emperor Xuanzong selecting Li Heng instead), was trying to find ways to undermine Li Heng, and therefore engaged Yang Zhao, Luo Xishi ( 羅希奭 ), and Ji Wen ( 吉溫 ) to falsely accuse people with connections to Li Heng, hoping to find a way to implicate Li Heng in improprieties. Yang Zhao was therefore able to use this opportunity to destroy several hundreds of households, although, with
5265-636: The Southern Seas was Lickety, the emperor of the Northern Sea was Split, and the emperor of the Center was Wonton. Lickety and Split often met each other in the land of Wonton, and Wonton treated them very well. Wanting to repay Wonton's kindness, Lickety and Split said, "All people have seven holes for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing. Wonton alone lacks them. Let's try boring some holes for him." So every day they bored one hole [in him], and on
5382-586: The Tao. Meanwhile, imperfect descriptions are ubiquitous throughout both texts. Of the texts written in China prior to its unification under the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, the Zhuangzi may have been the most influential on later literary works. For the period, it demonstrated an unparalleled creativity in its use of language. Virtually every major Chinese writer or poet in history, from Sima Xiangru and Sima Qian during
5499-541: The Three Kingdoms . Set in the waning years of the Eastern Han and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period, she was said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face. Chinese historical records indicate that the warrior Lü Bu had a secret affair with one of the warlord Dong Zhuo 's maids and he constantly feared that Dong Zhuo would find out. This
5616-489: The Zhangs' titles (stripped when they had been killed in 705). Also, because there were references in prophecies to a "golden sword" (金刀, which, when put together, made Zhao 釗)), he requested a name change as well. Emperor Xuanzong gave him the new name of Guozhong (meaning, "faithful to the state"). Grateful for what Xianyu had done for him at the start of his career, he had Xianyu made the military governor of Jiannan, despite
5733-559: The aim of biding his time before enacting his revenge. Part of his plan was to dispatch Xi Shi as a gift to Fuchai , the King of Wu, in the hope that Fuchai would become infatuated with her and become distracted from his official duties. The plan was successful, with Fuchai spending all his time entertaining Xi Shi and not attending to military matters. In part due to his distraction, Goujian was able to defeat an unprepared Fuchai in battle. Fuchai, full of regret, committed suicide. There are two accounts of what then happened to Xi Shi. The first
5850-580: The best soldiers from north of the Yellow River and had just captured the Heng and Ding region [(i.e., modern central Hebei ). If the Yao Mountains [(in modern Sanmenxia , Henan )] and the Hangu Pass could be held and the army not be frivolously used, then the violent rebellion will surely begin to crumble by itself. As soon as Geshu Han was forced to advance, within a few days, the emperor fled,
5967-531: The bridge over the Hao River. Zhuangzi said, "The minnows are darting about free and easy! This is how fish are happy." 惠子曰：子非魚，安知魚之樂。莊子曰：子非我，安知我不知魚之樂。 Huizi replied, "You are not a fish. How do you know that the fish are happy?" Zhuangzi said, "You are not I. How do you know that I do not know that the fish are happy?" 惠子曰：我非子，固不知子矣；子固非魚也，子之不知魚之樂全矣。 Huizi said, "I am not you, to be sure, so of course I don't know about you. But you obviously are not
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#17327658519926084-603: The capital Chang'an to Chengdu, the emperor's guards demanded that he put Yang Guifei to death because they blamed the rebellion on her cousin Yang Guozhong and the rest of her family. The emperor capitulated and reluctantly ordered his attendant Gao Lishi to strangle Yang to death. Yang Guifei became a tragic figure in later depictions. Particularly influential was the Tang poet Bai Juyi 's long poem, " Chang hen ge " (" Song of Everlasting Sorrow "). Well-known idioms describe
6201-469: The classic 18th-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber , often turns to the Zhuangzi for comfort amid the strife in his personal and romantic relationships. The story of Zhuang Zhou drumming on a tub and singing after the death of his wife inspired an entire tradition of folk music in the central Chinese provinces of Hubei and Hunan called "funeral drumming" ( 喪鼓 ; sànggǔ ) that survived into
6318-417: The emperor. On July 15, Emperor Xuanzong's train reached Mawei Station (馬嵬驛, in modern Xianyang , Shaanxi ). The imperial guards were not fed and were angry at Yang Guozhong. Chen also believed that Yang Guozhong provoked this disaster and planned to kill him—and reported his plans to Li Heng through Li Heng's eunuch Li Fuguo , but Li Heng was hesitated and gave no approval. Meanwhile, though, emissaries of
6435-525: The end of the second chapter, "On the Equality of Things", and consists of a dream being briefly recalled. 昔者莊周夢為胡蝶，栩栩然胡蝶也，自喻適志與。不知周也。 Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou. 俄然覺，則蘧蘧然周也。不知周之夢為胡蝶與，胡蝶之夢為周與。周與胡蝶，則必有分矣。此之謂物化。 Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou. But he didn't know if he
6552-491: The fact that Xianyu was harsh and thus offended the non- Han vassals. Indeed, in 751, after Xianyu had attacked the Kingdom of Nanzhao and suffered a major defeat (with 60,000 deaths), Yang hid the truth for him and claimed to Emperor Xuanzong that Xianyu had scored a major victory. Nevertheless, with the Nanzhao campaign continuing, Yang ordered that men be forcibly conscripted, even if they had previously had contributions to
6669-418: The first attested commentary on the work written during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). It has been called "the most important pre- Qin text for the study of Chinese literature". The Zhuangzi is presented as the collected works of a man named Zhuang Zhou —traditionally referred to as "Zhuangzi" ( 莊子 ; "Master Zhuang"), using the traditional Chinese honorific . Almost nothing
6786-569: The five households distinguished by a different color, causing a glamorous display of colors. Yang Guozhong would lead the train ahead with his own guards and the banners as the military governor of Jiannan. In spring 754, Yang suggested to Emperor Xuanzong that An was set on rebelling, and that if Emperor Xuanzong summoned him to Chang'an, he would surely not come—but when Emperor Xuanzong then did summon An, An immediately arrived at Chang'an and accused Yang of false accusations. Thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong would no longer believe any suggestions that An
6903-573: The focus on good morals and personal duty expressed by many Chinese philosophers of the period, Zhuang Zhou promoted carefree wandering and following nature, through which one would ultimately become one with the "Way" ( Tao ). Though appreciation for the work often focuses on its philosophy, the Zhuangzi is also regarded as one of the greatest works of literature in the Classical Chinese canon. It has significantly influenced major Chinese writers and poets across more than two millennia, with
7020-619: The government halls. Meanwhile, for his and Chen's contributions in "discovering" Li Linfu's involvement with Li Xianzhong, Emperor Xuanzong created both of them dukes in 753—in Yang's case, the Duke of Wei ( 魏 ), although he declined on account that the title was overly honorable for him, and so Emperor Xuanzong made him the Duke of Wei (衛, note different character) -- a slightly lesser title. Meanwhile, though, Yang began to have discord with another favorite official of Emperor Xuanzong's -- An Lushan ,
7137-472: The household of his father's cousin Yang Xuanyan ( 楊玄琰 ), and eventually carried on an affair with one of Yang Xuanyan's daughters (the later Lady of Guo). When Yang Yuanyan, who was sonless, died, Yang Zhao was temporarily in charge of the household, until Yang Yuanyan's daughters went to Henan Municipality (河南府, i.e., Luoyang ) to stay with their uncle Yang Xuanjiao ( 楊玄璬 ). Yang Zhao later served as
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#17327658519927254-471: The ideal Taoist sage. It contains numerous anecdotes, allegories, parables, and fables, often expressed with irreverence or humor. Recurring themes include embracing spontaneity and achieving freedom from the human world and its conventions. The text aims to illustrate the arbitrariness and ultimate falsity of dichotomies normally embraced by human societies, such as those between good and bad, large and small, life and death, or human and nature. In contrast with
7371-533: The introduction to his 1994 translation, Victor H. Mair wrote that he "[felt] a sense of injustice that the Dao De Jing is so well known to my fellow citizens while the Zhuangzi is so thoroughly ignored, because I firmly believe that the latter is in every respect a superior work". Western thinkers who have been influenced by the text include Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), who became deeply interested in
7488-569: The key to true happiness was to free oneself from worldly impingements through a principle of 'inaction' ( wu wei )—action that is not based in purposeful striving or motivated by potential gain. As such, he fundamentally opposed systems that sought to impose order on individuals. The Zhuangzi describes the universe as being in a constant state of spontaneous change, which is not driven by any conscious God or force of will . It argues that humans, owing to their exceptional cognitive ability, tend to create artificial distinctions that remove them from
7605-461: The late Warring States period , such as the Guanzi , Han Feizi and Huainanzi , suggest that the Zhuangzi 's intellectual lineage had already been fairly influential in the states of Qi and Chu by the 3rd century BC. Sima Qian refers to the Zhuangzi as a 100,000-character work in the Shiji , and references several chapters present in the received text. Many scholars consider
7722-554: The late 740s and early 750s to become the emperor's leading chancellor in 752. While Yang enjoyed Emperor Xuanzong's trust, his competence as chancellor was questioned and he became entangled in a fierce rivalry with an erstwhile political ally, the general and imperial favorite An Lushan . Yang was blamed for precipitating An's cataclysmic rebellion in 755. In the following year, he forced the Tang army of Geshu Han , then holding favorable defensive positions in Tong Pass , to confront
7839-462: The limitations of human knowledge and the rational world. Sinologist Victor H. Mair compares Zhuang Zhou's process of reasoning to Socratic dialogue —exemplified by the debate between Zhuang Zhou and fellow philosopher Huizi regarding the "joy of fish" ( No. 17). Mair additionally characterizes Huizi's paradoxes near the end of the book as being "strikingly like those of Zeno of Elea ". The most famous of all Zhuangzi stories appears at
7956-777: The mayor of Jingzhao arrest An's friend Li Chao ( 李超 ) and others and executing them secretly. An's son An Qingzong ( 安慶宗 ), who was then at Chang'an, reported this to An Lushan, causing An Lushan to be even more apprehensive. Subsequent events—including An's refusal to attend the funeral of an imperial prince in summer 755 and his offer to send a large number of horses to Chang'an in fall 755, began to cause Emperor Xuanzong to start suspecting An. He also discovered that Fu had received An's bribes, and therefore had Fu killed, instead sending another eunuch, Feng Shenwei ( 馮神威 ) to Fanyang to again summon An. An refused. In winter 755, An, finally feeling he had no choice but to rebel, did so. The imperial officials were all apprehensive, because An had
8073-478: The military governor ( jiedushi ) of Jiannan Circuit (劍南, headquartered in Chengdu), and Zhangqiu happened to be fearful that the powerful chancellor Li Linfu , with whom he was not on good relations, would find some way to hurt him. He thus wanted someone to go to the capital Chang'an to help him maintain good relations with powerful individuals on his behalf. Xianyu recommended Yang Zhao. Zhangqiu gave Yang
8190-406: The military governor of Fanyang (范陽, headquartered in modern Beijing ), Hedong (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan , Shanxi ), and Pinglu (平盧, headquartered in modern Chaoyang, Liaoning ) Circuits, as An did not respect Yang. Yang repeatedly accused An of plotting rebellion, but Emperor Xuanzong ignored the reports. Yang, instead, entered into an alliance with Geshu, who also disliked An and who
8307-528: The ministry of treasury. As of 749, with the prefectural treasury's food stores overflowing, Yang suggested that the prefectures, instead of storing food, buy silk with the food and transport the silk to the imperial treasury in Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong, with Yang reporting record surpluses, took a tour of the imperial treasury with the officials and awarded him with a purple robe and a golden fish. Meanwhile, by 750, Yang and Ji were allied with each other, and Ji
8424-460: The natural spontaneity of the universe. These include those of good versus bad, large versus small, and usefulness versus uselessness. It proposes that humans can achieve ultimate happiness by rejecting these distinctions, and living spontaneously in kind. Zhuang Zhou often uses examples of craftsmen and artisans to illustrate the mindlessness and spontaneity he felt should characterize human action. As Burton Watson described, "the skilled woodcarver,
8541-515: The oeuvres of Laozi and Zhuang Zhou during the 1930s. In particular, Heidegger was drawn to the Zhuangzi ' s treatment of usefulness versus uselessness. He explicitly references one of the debates between Zhuang Zhou and Huizi (No. 24) within the third dialogue of Country Path Conversations , written as the Second World War was coming to an end. In the dialogue, Heidegger's characters conclude that "pure waiting" as expressed in
8658-484: The one and give to the other—how skewed would that be?" The principles and attitudes expressed in the Zhuangzi form the core of philosophical Taoism . The text recommends embracing a natural spontaneity in order to better align one's inner self with the cosmic "Way". It also encourages keeping a distance from politics and social obligations, accepting death as a natural transformation, and appreciating things otherwise viewed as useless or lacking purpose. The text implores
8775-502: The passage, Zhuang Zhou "[plays] with the theme of transformation", illustrating that "the distinction between waking and dreaming is another false dichotomy . If [one] distinguishes them, how can [one] tell if [one] is now dreaming or awake?" Another well-known passage dubbed "The Death of Wonton" illustrates the dangers Zhuang Zhou saw in going against the innate nature of things. 南海之帝為儵，北海之帝為忽，中央之帝為渾沌。儵與忽時相與遇於渾沌之地，渾沌待之甚善。儵與忽謀報渾沌之德，曰：人皆有七竅，以視聽食息，此獨無有，嘗試鑿之。日鑿一竅，七日而渾沌死。 The emperor of
8892-641: The perception of the vast majority of readers, whoever authored the core Zhuangzi text was Master Zhuang." The only version of the Zhuangzi known to exist in its entirety consists of 33 chapters originally prepared around AD 300 by the Jin-era scholar Guo Xiang (252–312), who reduced the text from an earlier form of 52 chapters. The first 7 of these, referred to as the 'inner chapters' ( 內篇 ; nèipiān ), were considered even before Guo to have been wholly authored by Zhuang Zhou himself. This attribution has been traditionally accepted since, and
9009-517: The personal process of following the Tao at length, compared to Laozi he articulates little about the nature of the Tao itself. The Zhuangzi ' s only direct description of the Tao is contained in "The Great Ancestral Teacher" ( No. 6), in a passage "demonstrably adapted" from chapter 21 of the Tao Te Ching . The inner chapters and the Tao Te Ching agree that limitations inherent to human language preclude any sufficient description of
9126-477: The primordial " Wonton " ( No. 7), or Zhuang Zhou being discovered sitting and drumming on a basin after his wife dies ( No. 18). A few are longer and more complex, like the story of Lie Yukou and the magus , or the account of the Yellow Emperor 's music (both No. 14). Most of the stories within the Zhuangzi seem to have been invented by Zhuang Zhou himself. This distinguishes
9243-462: The progression of the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter." 人且偃然寢於巨室，而我噭噭然隨而哭之，自以為不通乎命，故止也。 "Now she's going to lie down peacefully in a vast room. If I were to follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don't understand anything about fate. So I stopped." Zhuang Zhou seems to have viewed death as a natural process of transformation to be wholly accepted, where a person gives up one form of existence and assumes another. In
9360-427: The reader to reject societal norms and conventional reasoning. The other major philosophical schools in ancient China—including Confucianism , Legalism , and Mohism —all proposed concrete social, political, and ethical reforms. By reforming both individuals and society as a whole, thinkers from these schools sought to alleviate human suffering, and ultimately solve the world's problems. Contrarily, Zhuang Zhou believed
9477-469: The rebel army, leading to a rout of Tang forces and the fall of the imperial capital, Chang'an . Yang attempted to flee to his base in Chengdu with Emperor Xuanzong, but when the imperial party stopped at Mawei Station in modern Shaanxi , Yang and his family, including Yang Yuhuan, were massacred by imperial guard soldiers who blamed them for the chaos. It is unknown when Yang Zhao was born. His family
9594-409: The scintillating brilliance" of the original inner chapters, although close intertextual analysis does not support the inner chapters comprising the earliest stratum. Multiple authorship over time was a typical feature of Warring States texts of this genre. A limited consensus has been established regarding five distinct "schools" of authorship, each responsible for their own layers of substance within
9711-431: The second chapter, Zhuang Zhou makes the point that, for all humans know, death may in fact be better than life: "How do I know that loving life is not a delusion? How do I know that in hating death I am not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?" His writings teach that "the wise man or woman accepts death with equanimity and thereby achieves absolute happiness." Zhuang Zhou's own death
9828-495: The seventh day Wonton died. Zhuang Zhou believed that the greatest of all human happiness could be achieved through a higher understanding of the nature of things, and that in order to develop oneself fully one needed to express one's innate ability. Chapter 17 contains a well-known exchange between Zhuang Zhou and Huizi, featuring a heavy use of wordplay; it has been compared to a Socratic dialogue . 莊子與惠子遊於濠梁之上。莊子曰：儵魚出遊從容，是魚樂也。 Zhuangzi and Huizi were enjoying themselves on
9945-518: The sheriff of Fufeng County (扶風, in modern Xi'an , Shaanxi ), but was unable to progress further, and returned to the Yi Prefecture region. While he was in the region, he also married his wife Pei Rou ( 裴柔 ), who had been a prostitute. As of 744, Yang Xuanyan's daughter Yang Guifei had become Emperor Xuanzong of Tang 's favorite concubine . Meanwhile, at this time, Xianyu Zhongtong had become an associate of Zhangqiu Jianqiong ( 章仇兼瓊 ),
10062-509: The skilled butcher, the skilled swimmer does not ponder or ratiocinate on the course of action he should take; his skill has become so much a part of him that he merely acts instinctively and spontaneously and, without knowing why, achieves success". The term "wandering" ( 遊 ; yóu ) is used throughout the Zhuangzi to describe how an enlightened person "wanders through all of creation, enjoying its delights without ever becoming attached to any one part of it". The nonhuman characters throughout
10179-512: The sky. Locally renowned for her beauty and skill at playing the pipa , she was chosen to be admitted into the harem of Emperor Yun , despite her young age. Despite her beauty, the emperor never visited her, as she had refused to bribe the official portraitists, who had then painted an unflattering portrait of her. In 33 BCE, the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhanye came to the Han capital Chang'an on an official visit, and asked for
10296-572: The southern state of Chu , as well as in the Qi capital of Linzi . Sima Qian included a biography of Zhuang Zhou in the Han-era Shiji ( c. 91 BC ), but it seems to have been sourced mostly from the Zhuangzi itself. The American sinologist Burton Watson concluded: "Whoever Zhuang Zhou was, the writings attributed to him bear the stamp of a brilliant and original mind". University of Sydney lecturer Esther Klein observes: "In
10413-522: The state (which normally would lead to an exemption from conscription). He also had Xianyu offer to resign and recommend him instead; thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong made him the military governor of Jiannan, but he remained at Chang'an and did not report to Jiannan, although he continued to wage the campaign against Nanzhao, eventually with the Tang death toll running up to 200,000. In 752, Yang received an opportunity to have Li Linfu removed. That year, Wang Hong's brother Wang Han ( 王銲 ) had been implicated in
10530-465: The strongest troops of the realm at the time, except for Yang, who believed that An could be suppressed easily. However, An's forces roved through the region north of the Yellow River easily, reaching Luoyang around the new year 756, and capturing it easily despite the efforts of Feng Changqing to defend it. In response, Emperor Xuanzong considered passing the throne to Li Heng and personally lead
10647-504: The sun and moon as my pair of jade disks , the stars and constellations as my pearls and beads, the ten thousand things as my funerary gifts. With my burial complete, how is there anything left unprepared? What shall be added to it?" 弟子曰：吾恐烏鳶之食夫子也。莊子曰：在上為烏鳶食，在下為螻蟻食，奪彼與此，何其偏也。 The disciples said: "We are afraid that the crows and kites will eat you, Master!" Master Zhuang said: "Above ground I'd be eaten by crows and kites, below ground I'd be eaten by mole crickets and ants. You rob
10764-446: The text are often identified as being useful vehicles for metaphor. However, some recent scholarship has characterized the Zhuangzi as being "anti-anthropocentric" or even "animalistic" in the significance it ascribes to nonhuman characters. When viewed through this lens, the Zhuangzi questions humanity's central place in the world, or even rejects the distinction between the human and natural worlds altogether. Political positions in
10881-485: The text from other works of the period, where anecdotes generally only appear as occasional interjections, and were usually drawn from existing proverbs or legends. Some stories are completely whimsical, such as the strange description of evolution from "misty spray" through a series of substances and insects to horses and humans ( No. 18), while a few other passages seem to be "sheer playful nonsense" which read like Lewis Carroll 's " Jabberwocky ". The Zhuangzi
10998-511: The text". The received text as edited by Guo is approximately 63,000 characters long—around two-thirds the attested length of the Han-era manuscript. While none are known to exist in full, versions of the text unaffected by both the Guo and Liu revisions survived into the Tang dynasty (618–907), with the existing fragments hinting at the folkloric nature of the material removed by Guo. Portions of
11115-619: The text's influence on Shangqing thought. The Zhuangzi was very influential in the adaptation of Buddhism to Chinese culture after Buddhism was first brought to China from India in the 1st century AD. Zhi Dun , China's first aristocratic Buddhist monk, wrote a prominent commentary to the Zhuangzi in the mid-4th century. The Zhuangzi also played a significant role in the formation of Chan Buddhism —and therefore of Zen in Japan—which grew out of "a fusion of Buddhist ideology and ancient Daoist thought." Traits of Chan practice traceable to
11232-400: The text. Despite the lack of traceable attribution, modern scholars generally accept that the surviving chapters were originally composed between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC. Excepting textual analysis, details of the text's history prior to the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) are largely unknown. Traces of its influence on the philosophy of texts written during
11349-436: The text—sometimes engaging in invented debates with Laozi , where Confucius is consistently portrayed as being the less authoritative, junior figure of the two. In some appearances, Confucius is subjected to mockery and made "the butt of many jokes", while in others he is treated with unambiguous respect, intermittently serving as the "mouthpiece" for Zhuang Zhou's ideas. The Zhuangzi and Tao Te Ching are considered to be
11466-405: The time before she was born. Not only the time before she was born, but the time before she had a body. Not only the time before she had a body, but the time before she had a spirit. In the midst of the jumble of wonder and mystery a change took place and she had a spirit. Another change and she had a body. Another change and she was born. Now there's been another change and she's dead. It's just like
11583-537: The troops against An—a proposal that Yang feared, believing that Li Heng would then take actions against the Yangs. He had Consort Yang dissuade Emperor Xuanzong from both actions. Meanwhile, Geshu was summoned to Chang'an to command the forces against An—and Geshu was then able to manufacture evidence that An's stepfather's nephew An Sishun , whom Geshu also disliked, was complicit in An Lushan's rebellion, and An Sishun
11700-477: The two fundamental texts in the Taoist tradition . It is accepted that some version of the Tao Te Ching influenced the composition of the Zhuangzi ; however, the two works are distinct in their perspectives on the Tao itself. The Zhuangzi uses the word "Tao" ( 道 ) less frequently than the Tao Te Ching , with the former often using ' heaven ' ( 天 ) in places the latter would use "Tao". While Zhuang Zhou discusses
11817-479: Was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou. Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. The image of Zhuang Zhou wondering if he was a man who dreamed of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being a man became so well known that whole dramas have been written on its theme. In
11934-430: Was a Chinese politician who served as principal chancellor of the Tang dynasty from 752 to 756, late in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong . Known in his youth as a gambler and wastrel, Yang rose rapidly to political power after his distant cousin, Yang Yuhuan , became Emperor Xuanzong's favorite consort in 744. His familial ties and skills as a financial administrator helped him navigate the tumultuous court politics of
12051-488: Was a sign of impending rebellion. Yang and Wei then suggested that An be promoted to be chancellor, and that his three commands be divided between his three deputies; Emperor Xuanzong initially agreed, but after the edict was drafted, Emperor Xuanzong tabled it and instead sent the eunuch Fu Qiulin ( 輔璆琳 ) to send fresh fruits to An and to observe him—upon which An bribed Fu into submitting a favorable report. Yang, however, persisted in his reports against Yang, including having
12168-469: Was already influential by the 3rd century BC. During the Qin and Han dynasties , with their respective state-sponsored Legalist and Confucian ideologies, the Zhuangzi does not seem to have been highly regarded. One exception is " Fu on the Owl" ( 鵩鳥賦 ; Fúniǎo fù )—the earliest known definitive example of fu rhapsody , written by the Han-era scholar Jia Yi in 170 BC. Jia does not reference
12285-418: Was captured, and Tong Pass fell on July 10. Yang then began to plan for an evacuation to Jiannan. Emperor Xuanzong agreed. On July 14, the imperial train, without announcing to the people of Chang'an, left Chang'an, with Emperor Xuanzong attended to by the imperial clan members, Yang, Wei Jiansu, the official Wei Fangjin ( 魏方進 ), the general Chen Xuanli ( 陳玄禮 ), and eunuchs and ladies in waiting close to
12402-599: Was executed. Yang, after this incident, began to be apprehensive of Geshu as well. When Geshu subsequently took defensive position at Tong Pass and refused to engage An's forces, reasoning that as long as he kept Chang'an secure, the other generals Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi would soon be able to capture An's power base at Fanyang and render An harmless. Yang, however, feared that Geshu was instead plotting against him. (Geshu's deputy Wang Sili ( 王思禮 ) did suggest to Geshu that he kill Yang when he could, but Geshu refused.) Yang therefore sent his associate Du Qianhui ( 杜乾輝 ) with
12519-423: Was from Pu Prefecture (蒲州, roughly Yuncheng , Shanxi ) and traced its ancestry to the great Han dynasty official Yang Zhen ( 楊震 ), as well as officials of Later Yan , Northern Wei , and Sui dynasty . Yang Zhao's great-great-grandfather Yang Wang ( 楊汪 ) was an important official during Sui. His grandfather Yang Youliang ( 楊友諒 ) served as a county magistrate for Tang, and his father Yang Xun ( 楊珣 ) served as
12636-457: Was involved with Li Xianzhong. As a result, Li Linfu was posthumously stripped of honors and his family members were exiled. Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong made Yang Guozhong You Xiang ( 右相 ) -- the head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng ) and a post considered one for a chancellor; he also made Yang the minister of civil service affairs (文部尚書, Wenbu Shangshu ), and further allowed him to keep his command of Jiannan. It
12753-404: Was no damage—and when the officials Li Xian and Fang Guan nevertheless submitted damage reports, he had them demoted. He also viewed the official Wei Zhi ( 韋陟 ) as a threat and had Wei accused of corruption—and when Wei subsequently bribed Ji, who was by then allied with An, for help, Yang also discovered this and reported it. As a result, Wei and Ji were demoted, and An subsequently submitted
12870-468: Was one of the reasons why he betrayed and assassinated Dong Zhuo in 192. The maid's name was not recorded in history, but it is believed the story partly inspired the character of Diaochan. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Diaochan, a geji of Wang Yun, assists her master in his plot to bring down Dong Zhuo. She seduces both Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo and thus drives a wedge between the two, eventually having Lü killed his foster father Dong Zhuo. She then becomes
12987-475: Was plotting rebellion, despite Li Heng agreeing with Yang's assessment on this issue. Meanwhile, he considered promoting An to be chancellor, but Yang opposed, and this did not occur, and An subsequently returned to Fanyang. Meanwhile, Yang was having conflicts with Chen as well, and he forced Chen to resign and then recommended Wei Jiansu to replace Chen. During a subsequent flood that caused much damage, Yang, not wanting any reports of damage, insisted that there
13104-399: Was plotting with Yang how to replace Li LInfu as chancellor—and he found crimes of Li Linfu's close associates Xiao Jiong ( 蕭炅 ) and Song Hun ( 宋渾 ), and then had Yang indict them and have them demoted, to try to undermine Li LInfu's hold on power. He also sought posthumous rehabilitation of his uncles Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, and at his request, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously restored
13221-531: Was said that Yang was capable in rhetoric but lacked abilities and presence. While he tried to be a responsible official and was decisive, he was frivolous and insolent to other officials. He personally assumed over 40 posts, and expelled those officials who had good reputations but were not willing to follow his orders. It was further said that he tried to show off his talent by having important matters decided at his home without discussion with other officials, and then simply announce his decisions once he arrived at
13338-426: Was set to be promoted, but the secretary general of Yi Prefecture, Zhang Kuan ( 張寬 ), disliking him, initially refused to do so and in fact whipped him, but eventually he was made the magistrate of Xindu County. After his three-year term of service was over, he did not save sufficient funds to return home, and relied on assistance from a rich man of the region, Xianyu Zhongtong ( 鮮于仲通 ). He also spent much time with
13455-460: Was spared at the last moment with severe injuries. The soldiers then surrounded Emperor Xuanzong's pavilion, and refused to scatter even after Emperor Xuanzong came out to comfort them and order them to scatter. Chen publicly urged him to put Consort Yang to death—which Emperor Xuanzong initially declined. After Wei Jiansu's son Wei E ( 韋諤 ) and Gao Lishi spoke further, Emperor Xuanzong finally resolved to do so. He therefore had Gao take Consort Yang to
13572-683: Was then the military governor of Longyou Circuit (隴右, headquartered in modern Haidong Prefecture , Qinghai ) at that time, by recommending that Geshu take over the command of Hexi Circuit (河西, headquartered in modern Wuwei , Gansu ). At this time, Yang and his relatives were living in extreme luxury, and he and the Lady of Guo had connected mansions and were openly displaying their closeness. Meanwhile, whenever Consort Yang's sisters—the Ladies of Guo, Han, and Qin—and Yang Xian and Yang Qi were to attend Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang on tours to Huaqing Palace (華清宮, known for its hot springs ), their trains would gather at Yang Guozhong's mansion, with each of
13689-399: Was thus allowed in the palace, and subsequently was made an officer of the imperial guards. As of 747, Yang Zhao was serving as Shi Yushi ( 侍御史 ), an imperial censor, when Li Linfu wanted to accuse the official Yang Shenjin ( 楊慎矜 ) of crimes. He thus engaged Yang Zhao to have Yang Zhao inform Yang Shenjin's cousin's son Wang Hong ( 王鉷 ), who resented Yang Shenjin for still viewing him as
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