The Ethereal Sage | 渺渺真人

The Ethereal Sage is a character I often call “the Taoist priest.” He’s almost always together with The Vast Master, who I often call “the Buddhist monk.”

渺渺 means something elusive or far off, and 真人 is a term from Zhuangzi that means “a Taoist spiritual master.”

The Ethereal Sage chanted a famous sarcastic poem (the “Hao-Liao Song,” or 好了歌) at the mourning Zhen Shiyin. After uttering a poetic response, Zhen Shiyin decided to renounce all worldly ties, abandoning his wife and responsibilities to become a monk.