During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu An, grandson of the founding emperor Liu Bang, inherited the title of Prince of Huainan. A renowned thinker and writer known for his quick wit and love of books and music, Liu An was especially obsessed with alchemy and the pursuit of immortality. He gathered thousands of guests and alchemists at his court, commissioning them to compile the *Huainanzi* (also known as the *Huainan Honglie*), a work filled with discussions on the arts of immortality and alchemy.
One day, eight elderly men arrived at the gate of the Prince of Huainan's mansion, demanding an audience with Liu An. When informed, Liu An instructed the gatekeeper to pose them some difficult questions to test their true abilities.
The gatekeeper, with a contemptuous look, said, "What our prince seeks is the art of immortality, scholars of vast knowledge, and warriors of great valor. You are all elderly and lack what the prince needs—how dare I report your presence to him?"
One of the Eight Gentlemen smiled and said, "We have long heard of your Highness's respect for the worthy and love for talent. Why then do you despise us for our age and refuse to see us? If you believe only the young are learned and skilled in longevity, while the white-haired are mediocre and without ability, this is hardly a good way to seek the wise."
Another old man shouted, "Since you find us too old, then make us younger."
The other elders chorused their approval, and in an instant, all eight transformed into youths of fourteen or fifteen with jet-black hair. The gatekeeper was stunned and rushed to report to Liu An. Upon hearing this, Liu An hurried out to greet them, not even stopping to put on his shoes. Seeing the young immortals, he knelt down, begging them to forgive this mortal and pleading to become their disciple.
After Liu An formally became their disciple, the eight youths instantly transformed back into elderly men. They addressed him, "We have long heard of your sincere devotion to attaining immortality through Daoist cultivation, so we have come today to offer our guidance. Each of us possesses a unique divine power—summoning wind and rain, commanding spirits and ghosts, riding the wind and clouds, crossing seas and waves, walking through fire unscathed, entering water without getting wet, remaining impervious to swords and spears, and turning mud into gold. Which art would you like to learn, Your Highness?"
Liu An was overjoyed, paying his respects to the Eight Elders morning and evening, offering them fine food and delicacies, while earnestly requesting each of the Eight Lords to demonstrate their various magical arts. The Eight Lords were indeed immensely powerful, and every spell they cast proved effective, leaving Liu An in awe and utterly convinced of their abilities.
Then the Eight Elders began teaching Liu An the alchemical scriptures and started refining the celestial elixir that would grant him ascension to heaven. But just as the work was underway, an unexpected incident occurred.
Liu An's son, Liu Qian, fancied himself an unmatched swordsman. Hearing that the imperial advisor Lei Bei was skilled with a blade, he insisted on a duel. Lei Bei, unable to refuse, reluctantly obliged. During the match, Lei Bei accidentally wounded Liu Qian, who flew into a rage.
Lei Bei realized he had caused a major disaster and grew extremely anxious, fearing Liu Qian would retaliate, so he requested Liu An's permission to go fight the Xiongnu, but Liu An refused.
Lei Bei grew even more terrified and anxious, so he submitted a memorial to the imperial court, accusing Liu An of preventing him from joining the fight against the Xiongnu. At the time, this was a serious crime punishable by death. However, since Liu An was Emperor Wu of Han's uncle, he only had two counties of his fiefdom stripped away.
After receiving this punishment, Liu An grew deeply resentful of Lei Bei. Fearing retaliation, Lei Bei decided to go all the way and joined others in falsely accusing Liu An of plotting rebellion. Without investigating the truth, Emperor Wu of Han sent troops to arrest Liu An.
When the Prince of Huai'an heard this news, he turned pale with shock and urgently asked the Eight Elders what to do. The Eight Elders smiled and said to him, "This is Heaven summoning you, Your Highness. Otherwise, you would not be able to leave this world!"
After speaking, the Eight Elders led Liu An to a mountaintop to pay homage to heaven and earth, then returned to the royal residence, where they had him take the elixir they had already refined.
After Liu An took the immortal elixir, he instantly felt as light as a swallow, rising slowly into the sky alongside the Eight Elders, thus escaping a great calamity.
Liu An's leftover elixir of immortality was carelessly discarded in the palace courtyard, where the prince's chickens and dogs lapped it up and promptly ascended to heaven. From the clouds, these beasts could be heard crowing and barking wildly.
In history, Liu An died by suicide after plotting a rebellion, but the tale above was a Jin Dynasty author's fictional story about him becoming an immortal. From this legend, the idiom "When one man attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" emerged, used to describe how when someone rises to high power, all their associates gain influence or benefits.
Source: *Biographies of Immortals*, Chapter "Liu An"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "鸡犬升天" came to describe how when someone rises to high power, all their associates gain influence or benefits.