The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup or Eight Immortals Indulged in Wine (Chinese: 飲中八仙; pinyin: yǐnzhōng bāxīan) were a group of Tang Dynasty scholars who are known for their love of alcoholic beverages. They are not deified and xian ("immortal; transcendent; fairy") is metaphorical. The term is used in a poem by Du Fu, and in the biography of Li Bai in the New Book of Tang.
They appeared in Du's poem in the following order:
- He Zhizhang (賀知章 Hè Zhīzhāng)
- Li Jin (李璡 Lǐ Jìn)
- Li Shizhi (李適之 Lǐ Shìzhi)
- Cui Zongzhi (崔宗之 Cuī Zōngzhī)
- Su Jin (蘇晉 Sū Jìn)
- Li Bai (李白 Lǐ Bái)
- Zhang Xu (張旭 Zhāng Xù)
- Jiao Sui (焦遂 Jiaō Suì)
Famous quotes containing the words wine and/or cup:
“What a man calls his “conscience” is merely the mental action that follows a sentimental reaction after too much wine or love.”
—Helen Rowland (1875–1950)
“The cup of Morgan Fay is shattered.
Life is a bitter sage,
And we are weary infants
In a palsied age.”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)