Liu Zongyuan, a celebrated poet, essayist, philosopher, and social activist of the Tang Dynasty, once served as a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites alongside Liu Yuxi as part of Wang Shuwen's reformist political group.
Liu Zongyuan was born at an inopportune time. In 805 AD, Emperor Shunzong, who had supported reformer Wang Shuwen, abdicated due to illness in favor of his son, Emperor Xianzong. Upon ascending the throne, Xianzong immediately cracked down on Wang Shuwen's faction, and Liu Zongyuan was demoted to serve as a prefect in Shaozhou, Hunan.
While en route to his post, Liu Zongyuan received another imperial decree from Emperor Xianzong, further demoting him to the rank of Sima in Yongzhou. The remote and desolate region offered no official residence, forcing him to take shelter in the Longxing Temple outside the city walls.
From the Longxing Temple, perched on high ground, Liu Zongyuan would often gaze through a small gate in its western wall, taking in the views of the Xiang River and the forested valleys across the water, using the scenery to ease his mind.
The following winter, it was unusually cold and even snowed heavily. The yellow dogs in Lingnan, having never seen such heavy snow, thought it strange and barked at the sky all day. Liu Zongyuan, seeing this, recalled two lines from the *Chu Ci*: "Dogs in the town bark in packs at what they find strange," and couldn't help but find it amusing.
Despite the harsh life in Yongzhou, where Liu Zongyuan himself fell ill, his ideals never wavered. He frequently wrote letters to friends, reaffirming his convictions, and diligently produced many outstanding poems and essays.
Although in Yongzhou, Liu Zongyuan was still constantly slandered and vilified as a "strange man," and even old friends cut off correspondence with him. Liu Zongyuan could not help but feel deeply grieved.
A scholar named Wei Zhongli, whom Liu Zongyuan had never met, sent him a letter requesting to become his student. Deeply moved, Liu Zongyuan wrote back in his famous reply, "On Teaching and the Way," saying: "I once heard that in southern Sichuan, where mountains are many and the sun rarely shines, dogs would bark wildly when they saw it appear. I always thought this tale of 'Sichuan dogs barking at the sun' was pure fiction. But now, living in Lingnan, I have witnessed it myself. Truly, the world is full of those who marvel at the unfamiliar."
The letter also contained many valuable lessons, and Wei Zhongli benefited greatly from it. He studied diligently and soon passed the imperial examinations.
Later, people used the idiom "A Sichuan Dog Barks at the Sun" to describe someone who is easily surprised by common things.
Source: Liu Zongyuan, *Reply to Wei Zhongli on the Way of the Teacher*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "蜀犬吠日" came to describe how someone is easily surprised by common things.