Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, Volume 5

The Wang Family Edition

Volume Five Lan Ying

Lan Ying (1585–1664) was a prolific landscape painter of the late Ming and early Qing periods. He often "quoted" the styles of ancient masters like Wang Wei to lend his work historical depth.

Winter Evening: Remembering Layman Hu While Facing the Snow

This text features a poem by Wang Wei (701–761), also known as Wang Youcheng. He was a master of both poetry and painting; it was famously said of him that "there is a painting in his poetry, and poetry in his painting."

The cold night-watch signals the dawn arrow;

In a clear mirror, I behold my aging face.

dawn arrow曉箭 (xiǎojiàn): The time-indicating markers used in ancient water clocks (clepsydras).

Through the window, the wind startles the bamboo;

Opening the door, I find snow filling the mountains.

Falling through the void, the deep alleys are silent;

Gathering white purity, the wide courtyard is still.

original: "積素" (jī sù). Literally "accumulated white silk" or "accumulated purity," a common poetic metaphor for deep, fresh snow.

Let us go together to visit the cottage of Yuan An;

Quietly and serenely, he still keeps his gate closed.

original: "袁安" (Yuán Ān). A reference to a famous scholar from the Han dynasty. During a massive snowstorm, when everyone else was out begging for food, Yuan An stayed in his hut and went hungry to avoid troubling his neighbors. He is a classic symbol of the virtuous, self-reliant hermit.

The Poetry and Painting of Wang Youcheng

original: "王右丞詩畫". Referring to Wang Wei. This page serves as a model for how a painter should capture the "spirit" of a poem within a landscape composition, particularly the theme of "solitary stillness" in winter.