It used to refer to a person with extremely high moral character and wisdom. That is why he is called a saint if he has all his talents and virtues. For example, Confucius was praised as a saint by feudal rulers after the Han Dynasty. Another example: Painting Sage - Wu Daozi Medical Sage - Zhang Zhongjing Calligraphy Sage - Wang Xizhi Cao Sage - Zhang Xu
Martial Sage - Jiang Ziya, Guan Yu, Yue Fei, Xiang Yu (Jiang Taigong is the originator of Chinese Taoism) , the ancient martial sage, whose theories, strategies, and techniques on civil and military affairs, managing the country, and managing the people and customs have laid a good foundation for future generations, and are praised and imitated by the Chinese nation in ancient times. The God of War was originally the "Master of War" Chi You. As for the official sacrifices, there were martial temples since the early Tang Dynasty, but the main worship was Jiang Ziya, a famous general of the Zhou Dynasty, while Guan Yu was worshiped secondarily. By the end of the Song Dynasty, there were already private temples dedicated to Guan Yu. "There are wells in all prefectures, prefectures, counties and villages." In fact, before the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese people really admired the martial arts saints Guan Yu and Yue Fei the most. But because Yue Fei has always been among the folk martial arts saints, it is mainly because of the Ming Dynasty novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms that most of Guan Yu The incident was exaggerated, and the Ming government kept conferring titles on Guan Yu. In the Qing Dynasty, it was tabooed that Yue Fei was a famous general who fought against the Jin Dynasty, and it was even more publicized, and Guan Yu was conferred the title of Martial Saint. The most admired Martial Saint before Yue Fei was Xiang Yu). The sage of wine - Du Kang, the sage of history - Sima Qian, the sage of literature - Ouyang Xiule, sage - Li Guinian, the sage of tea - Lu Yu, the chess sage - Huanglongshi, the sage of music - Guan Hanqing, the sage of poetry - Du Fu, the sage of poetry - Su Shi, the Buddhist Sage - Sakyamuni Taoist Sage - Laozi (Li Er) Five Confucian Sages:
The Most Sage - Confucius (Confucius) The Resurrection Sage - Yan Yuan (Yan Hui) The Zong Sage - Zengzi (Zeng Shen) Narrating the Sages - Zisi
The Second Sage - Mencius
Historically, it is said that there were "Ten Sages" in ancient China, but there are different opinions. Generally speaking, the following ten are believed to be:
The Holy Saint Confucius, named Kongqiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (now south of Qufu, Shandong) in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. A famous thinker, politician, educator in ancient my country, and the founder of Confucianism. After the Han Dynasty, Confucius's teachings gradually became the orthodoxy of China's feudal culture and had a great influence. Later generations have always respected him as a "sage" and known as the "Holy Teacher".
The Asian Saint Mencius Mencius, whose name was Ke and whose courtesy name was Ziyu, was a native of Zou State (southeast of today's Zou County, Shandong Province) during the Warring States Period. He was a famous thinker, politician, and educator in ancient my country. He is the author of "Mencius", one of the classics of Confucianism. He is considered to be the authentic successor of Confucius's teachings. He is called "Confucius and Mencius" together with Confucius, and is respected as "the Lesser Sage".
Poetic Saint Du Fu Du Fu, courtesy name Zimei and nickname Shaoling, was born in Gongxian County, Henan Province. A great poet of the Tang Dynasty in my country. He wrote many poems throughout his life that reflected social contradictions and real life. Because his poems more truly reflect a complex and turbulent historical era, he is respected as the "History of Poetry" and the "Sage of Poetry".
The Ci Saint Su Shi Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan, also known as Dongpo Jushi, was a native of Meishan, Sichuan. A famous poet, writer, calligrapher and painter in the Song Dynasty of my country, one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". He made outstanding contributions to the development of Ci. In the past, the content of Ci was narrow, but he expanded the content of Ci. The lyrics he wrote were powerful, bold and unrestrained, which had a great influence on later generations, so he was revered as the "Sage of Ci"
Du Kang, the Sage of Wine Du Kang, also known as Shaokang, had the courtesy name Zhongyu and was born in the Xia Dynasty. It is said that Du Kang took some water to make wine, and there are writings to prove it: "His wine is enough to nourish the wine; white wine can only cure diseases. Therefore, if you drink it all day long, you will not be in trouble; if you drink it for a lifetime, you will have the harmony of Qi and blood." . Neighbors are hundreds of miles away, and most of them sell wine. The legacy of Xianze is unique to the local area, and it is evident that Du Kang is the founder of wine and has a long history. source. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao sang the eternal masterpiece "Generosity should be shown as generosity, worries are unforgettable, and the only one who can relieve them is Du Kang." Therefore, later generations call it the "Sage of Wine"
The Saint of Calligraphy Wang Xizhi Wang Xizhi, also known as "Wang Youcheng", was born in Linyi, Shandong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and is the most famous calligrapher in the history of our country. His calligraphy absorbed the essence of calligraphy from various calligraphy schools in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and created a unique style. The regular script he wrote further got rid of the traces of official script and reached a state of independence and perfection. People praised his calligraphy as "floating like floating clouds" and "powerful as a frightening dragon", and recognized him as the "Sage of Calligraphy".
The painting sage Wu Daozi Wu Daozi, named Daoxuan, was a native of Yangzhai (now Yuzhou, Henan) in the Tang Dynasty. His paintings have a strong three-dimensional sense, and he is good at painting figures. He uses the thickness of vermilion powder to express the ups and downs of flesh and blood, which is as real as a statue.
He was also good at painting Buddha statues, and his images were lifelike, with the characters' clothes and belts fluttering like flying. He was known as "Wu Dai is in the Wind", and later generations respected him as the "Sage of Painting".
Medical Saint Zhang Zhongjing Zhang Zhongjing was born in Nanyang in the late Han Dynasty. He was an outstanding medical scientist in ancient my country and the author of "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases". The TCM theory and treatment methods of "dialectical treatment" explained in the book laid the foundation of TCM therapy, so later generations respected him as the "Medical Sage".
Medical Saint Sun Simiao Sun Simiao, who lived from 581 to 682 AD, and named himself Sun Zhenren, was born in Huayuan, Jingzhao (now Sunjiayuan, Yao County, Shaanxi Province). He was a great medical scientist in the Sui and Tang dynasties. His book "Thousands of Gold Essential Prescriptions" is my country's earliest medical encyclopedia. From basic theory to clinical subjects, it is complete with theories, methods, prescriptions and medicines. It is a treasure of traditional Chinese medicine worth thousands of dollars. Therefore, later generations call him "King of Medicine", "Real Man" and "Sage of Medicine".
Tea Sage Lu Yu Lu Yu, courtesy name Hongjian and nicknamed Donggangzi, was born in Jingling, Xiazhou (now Tianmen, Hubei) in the Tang Dynasty. He was a famous tea expert in ancient my country. He did not admire glory, but spent his whole life studying tea affairs, and finally wrote the world's first tea monograph - "The Book of Tea", thus pioneering tea research, so later generations hailed him as the "Tea God" and "Tea Sage". --------------------------------------------------
In addition to the above "Ten Saints", there are many people who are called "Saints" by later generations:
Martial Saint Guan Yu: (162?-220) was born in Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty During the Yanxi period, he was named Yunchang and was born in Xieliang, Hedong (now Yuncheng, Shanxi). A famous general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. After his death, he was highly respected by the people and was regarded as the Holy Emperor of Guan, respectfully called "Guan Gong".
Historical Saint Sima Qian: Born in the fifth year of Zhongyuan (145 BC) of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, his courtesy name was Zichang. He was a native of Xiayang, Zuofengyi. He was a historian and writer of the Western Han Dynasty. He is the author of "Historical Records", China's first biographical general history.
Literary Saint Ouyang Xiu: politician, writer, essayist and poet in the Northern Song Dynasty. One of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, his courtesy name was Yongshu, his nickname was Drunkard, and his later nickname was Liuyi Jushi. There is "Ouyang Wenzhong Collection", and the collection of poems includes "Six Words", "Modern Style Yuefu" and "The Drunken Old Man's Musical Collection".
Cao Sheng Zhang Xu: courtesy name Bogao, a native of Suzhou who once served as a county captain in Changshu. A great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Known for cursive writing. Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty once issued a rare edict to the whole country: Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Fei Min's sword dance can become the "three wonders" in the world.
Sun Wu, the Sage of War: Zi Changqing, also known as Sun Tzu, was a famous military strategist in the Spring and Autumn Period. People from Qi State. The "Thirteen Chapters" written by him is the earliest art of war in our country. It is known as the "Holy Text of Military Science" and is placed at the top of the "Seven Books of Martial Arts". He was recognized by later generations as the author of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
Zhang Liang: (? - 186 BC) named Zifang, one of the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty. During the Chu-Han war, he "made great plans to bring peace to the world", all of which were adopted by Liu Bang. Liu Bang once praised him for his "strategic planning and decisive victory from thousands of miles away, which is the merit of Zifang".
Music Saint Li Guinian: He was a musician during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the three brothers Li Guinian, Li Pengnian and Li Henian were all talented in literature and art. Li Guinian was good at singing, playing bamboo baskets and playing musical instruments. Jie Gu is also good at composing and so on. Later generations called Li Guinian the "Sage of Music".
The chess sage Huang Longshi: named Qiu, also known as Xia, with the courtesy name Yuetian, was born in Jiangyan, Tai County, Jiangsu Province. When he was young, the name of chess was already heard in his neighborhood. He is the author of "Yi Kuo" and "The Complete Pictures of Huang Longshi".
Qusheng Guan Hanqing: (about 1229 AD - 1241 AD), died in the early years of Dade of Chengzong in the Yuan Dynasty (around 1300 AD), a playwright of the Yuan Dynasty. No. has been fasting (one work and one fast). "The Injustice of Dou E", "Saving Feng Chen", "Wangjiang Pavilion", "Moon Worship Pavilion", "Lu Zhailang", "Single Sword Club", "Tiao Feng Yue", etc. are his representative works.
Mu Sheng (Science Sheng) Zhang Heng: (78-139), named Pingzi, was born in Xi'e, Nanyang (now Shiqiao Town, Nanyang County, Henan Province). He was a great astronomer in the Eastern Han Dynasty of my country. His achievements involved There are many fields such as astronomy, seismology, mechanical technology, mathematics and even literature and art.