The Story of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were seven men. They were Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Liu Ling, Wang Rong and Ruan Xian. They lived during the Zhengshi period of the Cao Wei Dynasty (240-249 AD).

They often met under bamboo groves in Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. They drank wine, sang loudly and had a good time freely there. People called them the "Seven Sages". Later, people added the place name to call them the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove".

Ji Kang

Ji Kang was from Su County, Anhui Province. He was not only handsome but also good at music. He admired the ideas of Laozi and Zhuangzi. He left more than 50 poems.

He also liked forging iron—not to make a living, but simply to enjoy the freedom of sweating. Finally, he was wrongfully killed because he refused to cooperate with the Sima family.

Ruan Ji

Ruan Ji was from Weishi County, Henan Province. His father Ruan Yu was one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an." Ruan Ji had a strange habit. He would roll his eyes to ignore those strict, fake people who followed old rules.

He only showed his black eyes and treated people warmly if they shared his ideals. He could also drink a lot. When Sima Zhao wanted his son to marry Ruan Ji's daughter, Ruan Ji got drunk for 60 days in a row. This made the matchmaker unable to say a word, and he successfully avoided the marriage.

His main poems are the 82 "Yong Huai Poems" (Poems of Affectionate Remembrance). Most of the content implicitly expresses his inner depression and unhappiness with the politics of the time.

Shan Tao

Shan Tao was from Xi, Wuzhi County, Henan Province. He started his official career after the age of 40, serving under Sima Shi.

He held many important positions such as Minister of Personnel, Palace Attendant, and Situ, becoming a high-ranking official in the Sima family's regime. When Shan Tao was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he never played favoritism when recommending talents.

Every time he recommended someone, he would clearly write their strengths and weaknesses. This was called "Shan Gong Qi Shi" (Admonitions of Lord Shan), which became a reference for selecting officials in later generations.

Ji Kang once wrote "Letter to Shan Juyuan Severing Friendship" to end their friendship with him. But before his death, Ji Kang entrusted his son to Shan Tao, saying, "With Juyuan here, my son will not be alone."

Xiang Xiu

Xiang Xiu was from Xi'nan, Wuzhi County, Henan Province. He was a close friend of Ji Kang and Lü An. The three often forged iron and played the qin at Ji Kang's home. Xiang Xiu was originally a scholar who loved the philosophy of "Zhuangzi."

After Ji Kang was killed, he was forced to become an official. But he still secretly annotated "Zhuangzi" in private. Some parts of his annotations were stolen by Guo Xiang, who became famous for them. Xiang Xiu's representative work is "Fu on Recalling Old Friends" (Si Jiu Fu).

Every word in it shows his longing for his good friends and helplessness towards reality.

Liu Ling

Liu Ling was from Suzhou, Anhui Province. He loved drinking more than anything.

He often walked around naked at home. When someone accused him of being rude, he replied instead: "I take heaven and earth as my house, and my house as my clothes and pants. Why did you crawl into my pants?" His representative work is "Ode to the Virtue of Wine" (Jiu De Song), which describes the state of being drunk in an absurd way.

Wang Rong

Wang Rong was from Linyi, Shandong Province. He was very stingy. He had a good plum tree at home.

When he sold plums, he would drill holes in each plum pit first, fearing that others would plant trees with the pits. When the Jin Dynasty began, he held many important jobs for a long time. These jobs included Palace Attendant and Minister of Personnel. He served two emperors: Emperor Wu and Emperor Hui of Jin.

Ruan Xian

Ruan Xian was from Weishi County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province. He was Ruan Ji's nephew. He was good at music and played the pipa well.

Like his uncle Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian despised rigid rules. Once, during a family gathering, everyone sat around drinking. He thought drinking from small cups was not enjoyable, so he directly picked up a big basin and drank heavily. At that time, several pigs ran over to lick the wine in the basin.

He did not drive them away, but instead leaned over to drink with the pigs. After entering the Jin Dynasty, Ruan Xian once served as a Palace Attendant, but he was not valued by Sima Yan.