Wang Wei’s name comes from the Buddhist Vimalakirti. Vimalakirti is a famous layman in Buddhism, which means a clean and pollution-free person. Therefore, Wang Wei's name has a Buddhist flavor, which is not something ordinary people can bear. In addition, some people think that Wang Wei's name may be named after his mother, with the word Mojie, which together means Vimalakirti.
Wang Wei (701-761, some say 699-761), courtesy name Mojie, nicknamed Mojiezi, was a native of Hedong (now Yuncheng, Shanxi), a poet and painter of the landscape pastoral school in the Tang Dynasty , known as the "Buddha of Poetry". His poetry, calligraphy, painting and music are all excellent, especially his landscape poetry. He and Meng Haoran are collectively known as "Wang Meng".
Wang Wei was born in the Wang family in Hedong. He passed the first prize in the 19th year of Kaiyuan (731). Li Guanyou collected relics, censored the censor, and made the judge during the Hexi Festival. During the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei paid homage to the official doctor and gave him a job. After An Lushan captured Chang'an, Wang Wei was forced to accept a pseudo post. After the war subsided, Wang Wei entered the court as the Minister of Punishment and became an official. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty (760), Wang Wei asked to go into seclusion. Later, he paid homage to the prince Zhongyun and gave him the title of Shizhong. Finally, he was promoted to Shangshu Youcheng.
Wang Wei's landscape pastoral poems are good at expressing ethereal artistic conception and deep Zen feeling. The language of his poetry is fresh and natural, the rhythm is beautiful and harmonious, and it has musical beauty. His five-character quatrains and short poems are all unique in Tang poetry. "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" contains more than 400 of his poems.
Wang Wei's poems have a unique style and extremely high attainments in art. He incorporated poetry into painting, integrating poetry and painting to form his own unique artistic style. His poetry is not only beautiful in form and artistic conception, but also philosophical and musical. His paintings are mainly landscape paintings, with exquisite brushwork and vivid charm.
Wang Wei's landscape pastoral poems had a profound impact on later generations
His poems were not only widely circulated in the Tang Dynasty, but were also learned and used by future generations of poets. The ethereal artistic conception and Zen spirit expressed in his works, as well as the praise of natural beauty, have become valuable heritage of Chinese culture.
In addition to poetry creation, Wang Wei is also an excellent painter and musician. His paintings are hailed as one of the treasures of ancient Chinese painting, while his musical works reflect superb skills and a deep understanding of music.
In general, Wang Wei is a shining pearl of Chinese Tang Dynasty culture. His poetry, paintings, music and other works fully demonstrate his talent and artistic attainments. His works were not only widely circulated at the time, but also had a profound impact on the cultural and artistic development of future generations.