What is Sage?
Sage is an ancient and sacred title, which represents a person who has reached a very high level in a certain field, has extraordinary talents and contributions, and is admired and worshiped by future generations. The criteria for a saint are interpreted differently by different eras and cultures, but in general, a saint should have the following three conditions:
Moral character, that is, having high morals and personality, being able to lead by example, be a teacher for others, and set an example for society.
Meritorious, both outstanding achievements and contributions, able to create new theories or practices in their own field, and contribute to the progress and development of mankind.
Thoughtful, that is, having unique insights and wisdom, being able to have deep insight and understanding of their own field, and providing inspiration and guidance for future generations.
22 saints in Chinese history
In Chinese history, there are many outstanding figures who have made extraordinary achievements in their respective fields and are respected as saints by later generations. According to different classification methods, the saints in Chinese history can be divided into different categories, such as literary saints, martial saints, medical saints, book saints, etc. Below, we will introduce the 22 saints in Chinese history, they are:
Wen Sheng:Confucius, a native of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period, the greatest thinker and educator in ancient China, and the founder of Confucianism, was revered as the "Most Holy Teacher", and his Confucianism influenced Chinese culture and society for thousands of years, and also spread to East Asia and the world.
Yasheng:Mencius, a native of Zou during the Warring States Period, a representative of Confucianism, and Confucius was called "Confucius and Mencius", he inherited and developed Confucius's thoughts, advocating "the people are noble and the monarch is light", "the theory of goodness", "benevolent government", etc., and was respected as "Yasheng" by the Yuan Dynasty.
Bing Sheng:Sun Wu, a native of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period, the most famous military strategist in ancient China, was known as "the teacher of the hundred generations of soldiers" and "the originator of oriental military science", he wrote "Sun Tzu's Art of War", which is the world's earliest military book, and was respected as the "holy book of military science" by later generations, and Sun Wu was respected as the "saint of soldiers" by later generations.
Wine Saint:Du Kang, the monarch of the Xia Dynasty, the "ancestor of winemaking" in ancient Chinese legends, is said to have invented the method of wine-making, and was also the first to use wine as a sacrifice, and was revered as "Bacchus" and "Liquor Saint" by later generations.
Shang Sheng:Fan Li, a native of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period, was a famous politician, military strategist, economist and Taoist scholar in ancient China, and also an early business theorist.
Chef Saint:Yi Yin, the founding father of the Shang Dynasty, a famous politician, thinker, medical scientist, Taoist in ancient China, and the earliest culinary master in ancient China, once used his cooking skills to impress Shang Tang, became the Xiangguo of the Shang Dynasty, and was respected as the "kitchen saint" by later generations.
Seeking Sainthood:Zhang Liang, a native of the late Qin and early Han dynasties, was an outstanding thinker and strategist in ancient China, proficient in the art of Huang Lao, and Han Xin and Xiao He were called the "Three Masters of the Early Han Dynasty", and made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty, and was respected as "seeking saints" by later generations.
Shi Sheng:Sima Qian, a native of the Western Han Dynasty, the greatest historian in ancient China, is the founder of the first general history of ancient China, he is the author of "Historical Records", which is the first general history of ancient China, praised by Lu Xun as "the swan song of the historian, the rhyme of the separation", Sima Qian was respected as the "saint of history" by later generations.
Kesheng: Zhang Heng, a native of the Eastern Han Dynasty, an outstanding astronomer, inventor, mathematician, geographer in ancient China, he made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese astronomy, mechanical technology and science.
Martial Saint:Guan Yu, a native of Hedong in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, an outstanding military general in ancient China, known for his loyalty, once accompanied Liu Bei to invite Zhuge Liang out of the mountain, and followed Liu Bei into Shu, made meritorious contributions to the establishment of Shu Han, and was respected as a "martial saint" by later generations.
Doctor Saint:Zhang Zhongjing, a native of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the most famous medical scientist in ancient China, is the author of "Treatise on Typhoid Fever and Miscellaneous Diseases", which is the first medical monograph in China to establish the law of syndrome differentiation and treatment from theory to practice, and is respected as "medical saint" by later generations.
Book St: Wang Xizhi, a native of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the most famous calligrapher in ancient China, is good at regular script and calligraphy, known as the "sage of calligraphy", and his masterpiece "Lanting Collection Preface" is known as "the first line of calligraphy in the world".
Tea SaintLu Yu, a native of the Tang Dynasty, the most famous tea scientist in ancient China, is the author of "The Book of Tea", which is the world's first tea monograph, and is respected as the "Tea Saint" by later generations.
Painting Saint:Wu Daozi, a native of the Tang Dynasty, was the most famous painter in ancient China, specializing in Buddhism, gods and ghosts, landscapes, people, birds and beasts, plants and trees, pavilions and other themes, and was respected as the "saint of painting" by later generations.
Grass Saint:Zhang Xu, a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty and a native of Suzhou, was good at cursive writing and was respected as the "Grass Sage" by later generations. Zhang Xu's cursive writing, Li Bai's poetry, and Pei Min's sword dance are called the "Three Uniques". Zhang Xu's calligraphy not only inherits the tradition, but also innovates on the basis of the tradition, combining nature with personal emotions, the dragon flies and the phoenix dances, and the clouds flow smoothly. Zhang Xu's cursive masterpieces include "Former Post", "Ru Official Post" and so on.
Juggernaut: Pei Min, a native of Donglu in the Tang Dynasty, is good at sword dancing and is respected as the "Sword Saint" by later generations. Pei Min's sword dance, Li Bai's poems, and Zhang Xu's cursive script are called the "Three Uniques", and it is rumored that Li Bai once learned swords with him. "Du Yizhi" once commented on Pei Min: Throwing the sword into the clouds, dozens of zhang high, if the electric light shoots down, Min Yin holds the sheath in his hand to inherit it, and the sword enters through the air, and thousands of viewers are all cold and frightened.
Lesheng: Li Guinian, the Tang Dynasty ** family, Xingzhou Bairen, since childhood has artistic talent, he is good at blowing the basket, playing the drum, but also good at composing, deeply favored by Tang Xuanzong, he composed a very high level of music, respected by later generations as the "Tang Dynasty music saint".
Poetry:Du Fu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, a native of Gongxian County, Henan, and Li Bai, a "poet immortal", are collectively known as "Li Du". Li Bai's poems are romanticism, Du Fu's poems are realism, Du Fu's poems are called "epics", and Du Fu himself is also respected as a "poetic saint" by later generations.
Word SageSu Shi, a native of Meishan, Meizhou, a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Song Dynasty, ranked one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties", Su Shi was the leading figure in the literary world in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, and made great achievements in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, painting, etc. Su Shi's heroic and unrestrained is an outstanding representative of the bold school, and is respected by later generations as the "word saint".
Qu Sheng:Guan Hanqing, a native of Jiezhou, a famous opera scholar in the Yuan Dynasty, the founder of Yuan miscellaneous opera, Guan Hanqing ranked first among the "Four Masters of Yuan Opera". Guan Hanqing's works have profound themes and rigorous structures, and the operas he created in his life are very rich, and his operas profoundly exposed the social reality of the Yuan Dynasty and had a great impact on later generations, so later generations respected Guan Hanqing as a "qu saint".
Medicine Saint:Li Shizhen, a native of Huangzhou, Huguang, was a famous medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty and the author of the book "Compendium of Materia Medica". Li Shizhen traveled all over the country to collect drug specimens and prescriptions from all over the world, visited the mountains, tasted all kinds of herbs, referred to thousands of dynasties and medical techniques in various places, and studied many difficult problems of diseases, which had a great impact on medicine, and was respected as the "saint of medicine" by later generations.
February**Dynamic Incentive Plan Chess Saint: Huang Longshi, a native of Taixian County, Jiangsu Province in the Qing Dynasty, is known as Fan Xiping and Shi Xiangxia"The three great chess saints of the Qing Dynasty"He is the author of the book "Yi Kuo", his chess style is unique, seemingly ordinary, but in fact it is very deep, often making the opponent not easy to notice, surprising victory, and is respected as the "chess saint" by later generations.