During the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, a man named Wang Ji from Jiangzhou's Longmen was renowned for his extraordinary drinking capacity—he could down three to five dou of wine in one sitting without getting drunk. He would happily accept any invitation to drink, regardless of the host's social status or rank. During the Sui dynasty, he served as the deputy magistrate of Liuhe County but was dismissed for neglecting his duties due to drinking, yet he never gave it a second thought.
Wang Ji had a friend named Du Zhisong, who knew Wang Ji's obsession well and often sent him wine and food during festivals. One time, Du Zhisong invited Wang Ji to lecture on the "Rites," but Wang Ji refused, saying, "How can I discuss stale dregs while abandoning the fragrant delight of good wine?" Instead of teaching the Rites, Wang Ji devoted his energy to gathering materials and writing books like *The Art of Wine* and *The Wine Canon*, and even built a "Du Kang Shrine" to honor the legendary brewer Du Kang.
During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, the poet Wang Ji was appointed as an imperial advisor. According to custom, the government supplied him with three pints of wine daily, but Wang Ji found this insufficient. When someone asked him, "What does the advisor enjoy most?" Wang Ji replied, "Fine wine and rare brews—they make one reluctant to part!" The imperial advisor Chen Shuda, knowing Wang Ji's fondness for drink, began gifting him a full gallon of wine each day. For this reason, people of the time nicknamed Wang Ji the "Gallon Scholar."
The idiom "Doujiu Xueshi" describes a scholar who is a heavy drinker.
Source: *New Book of Tang*, "Biography of Wang Ji"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "斗酒学士" came to describe a scholar who is a heavy drinker.