In conclusion, water has been frequently used as a philosophical symbol to express loneliness, alienation, and the inherent existence or non-existence of self by many poets in the Tang Dynasty, namely Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu. Though different poets often explored similar ties between water and other motifs, such as autumn and emptiness, the metaphorical functions that the symbols served in the works of these poets are nuanced and interesting. For instance, in Du Fu’s works, water is often used to further advance not only his deep sentiment and concern towards the current circumstance faced by the nation but also his aspiration to leave valuable, significant legacies for the future generations that do not perish through time. Though water often symbolizes the inevitability of fate to Du Fu, he is still hopeful of the new opportunities and livelihood that water, or the flow of time and fate, brings. Li Bai, on the other hand, often endows water with his own unrestrained, free-seeking characters as a means to transcend beyond the mundane world and earthly desires. The emptiness that is associated with water in Wang Wei’s poems portrays water as a tranquil, harmonious being, which subsequently elucidates the concept of the lack of inherent existence of self. The philosophical inferences that the works of these poets are largely related to the schools of teachings that they have been affiliated with: Du Fu as a Confucian, Li Bai as a Daoist, and Wang Wei as a Buddhist. However, these affiliations are arbitrary and reductionistic because these poets also showed tendencies in their writings to connect with other schools of philosophy that they are not traditionally associated with: Li Bai also showed ambitions to serve the country while Wang Wei also showed an aspiration to let go of earthly desires. Without any doubt, the philosophical meanings that water carries in the poems all reflect a deeply-rooted, unique meaning system that Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism constructed in pre-modern Chinese society.