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zhan-ziqian_spring-excursion.webp
A painting of the river and the shores in spring.
Sping Excursion by Zhan Ziqian (ca. 550–604), The Palace Museum, Beijing

Loneliness, Alienation, and Social Disengagement 

Tang Dynasty poets often used water as a metaphor to express the philosophical concepts of alienation, social marginalization, and the existence or non-existence of self. For example, the connection between water and autumn, a season traditionally associated with the sense of sorrow and loss, has been explored in many well-known pieces of these poets and further portrays their sense of loneliness and the social marginalization that they faced. Moreover, the shapeless, erratic, and continuously flowing properties of water also impart it with the characteristics of inconsistency, unstoppableness, and endlessness. This unique meaning has been exploited by many poets to symbolize the inability of individuals to combat one’s fate and the lack of autonomy over one’s own choices and destiny. However, though water has been frequently used as a symbol to express the disillusion of the poets towards reality, it is also used to depict the tranquility and inner peace that many of them longed for. In such cases, the symbolic meaning of alienation represented by water is not entirely pessimistic but hopeful and idealistic, which further expresses the poet’s understanding of the value and purpose of life in a mundane world. Here, the philosophical connection between water and emptiness further evokes a profound discussion of the existence of an independent self in society. The present analysis focuses on addressing the connection between water and autumn for self-expression, the intrinsic nature of water in relation to the inevitability of fate, and the use of water as a symbol for the pursuit of inner tranquility and emptiness to further explore the poets’ philosophical understandings of the purpose and meaning of life.

Water and Autumn

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