Xu Hao was a Tang Dynasty calligrapher who excelled in the classics and wrote well. Chief Minister Zhang Yue deeply admired his talent, calling him "a rising talent who surpasses his predecessors."
During the reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, Xu Hao served as a Secretariat Drafter, a prestigious literary role responsible for composing the court's most vital documents. His quick wit and elegant calligraphy won the emperor's trust, leading to his concurrent appointment as Right Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat, overseeing the Ministries of War, Justice, and Public Works.
One day, Xu Hao said to Emperor Suzong, "In the past, officials reviewing and sentencing criminal cases had to go through the Ministry of Justice for verification, but during the corrupt reigns of Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, this system was broken—everything was decided by their whims, cases were closed without proper investigation, leading to countless injustices. I hope Your Majesty will restore the old system."
Emperor Suzong adopted his suggestion and appointed him as the Imperial Academy Chancellor, specifically tasked with educating the children of officials ranked third and above.
During the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong fled to Sichuan, and a eunuch named Li Jingzhong helped Crown Prince Li Heng ascend the throne as Emperor Suzong. Seizing power, he renamed himself Li Fuguo. The official Xu Hao later fell victim to his political maneuvers and was demoted to governor of Luzhou.
During the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, Xu Hao served as a Secretariat Drafter and later as Vice Minister of Personnel. While overseeing an official selection examination, he pulled strings to get his brother-in-law a position, which was exposed, leading to his demotion as Prefect of Shezhou. Under Emperor Dezong, Xu Hao was reinstated and granted the title Duke of Kuaiji, earning him the nickname "Xu of Kuaiji."
Xu Hao learned calligraphy from his father as a child. He excelled in regular script and was especially skilled in cursive and clerical styles, his characters round, forceful, and substantial, forming a unique school. People at the time described his brushwork as "a furious lion striking a rock, a thirsty steed racing to a spring."
Later, the idiom "A Thirsty Steed Galloping to the Spring" came to describe an urgent momentum, often referring to vigorous and powerful brushstrokes in calligraphy.
Source: *New Book of Tang*, "Biography of Xu Hao"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "渴骥奔泉" came to describe an urgent momentum, often referring to vigorous and powerful brushstrokes in calligraphy.