#because mega literacy was like a Thing in upper class ye olde China

[hunxi-guilai]

I was rereading your post about poetry in the show & I just wanted to remark that I felt like "今朝有酒今朝醉" has very similar vibes to the part in wwx's character song that goes "使我徒有身后名， 不如及时一杯酒" (I hope it's correct, it's how I remember it), I think he also says it in ep 30something, not sure if it's part of a poem though. Anyway, thank you for your posts, they're really amazing & you've made me more interested in Chinese poetry than both my mom and 中国诗词大会 have (oops)

...holy heck anON, YOUR MEMORY, it’s like, the opposite end of the spectrum from Wei Wuxian’s

okay! okay okay okay, so anon’s mind is a steel trap, and spotted the connection between this moment in episode 29, just after Wei Wuxian has drunk everyone in the Burial Mounds under the table but before it all goes to shit:

使我徒有身后名 shiwotuyoushenhouming / Even if my name were to live on in empty fame after my death

不如即时一杯酒 burujishiyibeijiu / that would be no match for a cup of wine right now.

This line also appears in Wei Wuxian’s character song, 曲尽陈情 Qu Jin Chen Qing, at this precise second.

Did a bit of digging, and it turns out, Wei Wuxian here is quoting some dialogue (whew I don’t have to revise the poetry post just yet) from a passage in the 《世说新语·任誕》Shishuoxinyu, “Ren Dan” about 张季鹰 Zhang Jiying, who famously gave up his government post because he was craving a dish from his hometown: 

或謂之曰：「卿乃可縱適一時，獨不為身後名邪？」答曰：「使我有身後名，不如即時一桮酒！」

Someone said to him [Zhang Jiying]: "You could conform for a while -- unless you alone do not act in hopes of leaving a name for yourself after your death?” To which Zhang Jiying responded, “Even if my name were to live on in empty fame after my death, that would be no match for a cup of wine right now!”

...honestly, at this point, I’ve pretty much accepted in my own brain that in the period of time between his parents’ death and Jiang Fengmian finding him on the streets, Wei Wuxian tagged along with a theatre troupe for a while, helping out with basic tasks and getting a bit of classical theatrical training while he’s at it. At the very least, that would explain 1) his way with language, 2) his effortless stage presence, 3) his ability to lie, and 4) his flair for dramatics. 

Alternatively, he’s actually a huge nerd and the reason why he’s so bored in the Lan Sect library is because he’s already read and memorized everything