FOOTNOTES
[i] Also known as 蘭亭序, 蘭亭集序, 蘭亭叙, 臨河叙, 臨河序, etc..
[ii]張彥遠《法書要錄》 。 北京: 人民美術出版社, 1984, pp. 126-130。
[iii]房玄齡《晉書》卷八十王羲之列傳。北京:中華書局，1974，pp.2098-2099。
[iv]葉盛《水東日記》。北京:中華書局，1980，p.323。
[v]《晉書》，p.2099。See (2).
[vi]《法書要錄》, p.124。See (1).
[vii]李長路, 王玉池《王羲之王獻之年表與東晉大事記》。重慶: 重慶出版社, 1992, p.6。
[viii] 《晉書》, p.2093。See (2).
[ix]陶宗儀《書史會要》。上海: 上海書店, 1984, p.58。
[x] 《晉書》, pp.181 & 2093。See (2).
[xi]《晉書》, p.2094。See (2).
[xii]《晉書》pp.2100-2101。See (2).
[xiii] 《晉書》p.2101。See (2).
[xiv]《晉書》p.2102。 See (2).
[xv] Lu Jia (陸賈, 240-170BC) was a renowned politician who once worked under Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (劉邦, 256-195BC). He acted as one of the counsellors who persuaded Emperor Gaozu to adopt Confucius teachings of benevolence and righteousness (仁義) in governing. According to Sima Qian's Records of The Grand Historian (《史記》):
陸生時時前說稱詩書。高帝罵之曰：「乃公居馬上而得之，安事詩書！」
陸生曰:「居馬上得之，寧可以馬上治之乎？...秦任刑法不變，卒滅趙氏。鄉使秦已并天下，行仁義，法先聖，陛下安得而有之？」Master Lu on numerous occasions expounded and praised the Book of Odes and the Book of Documents, until one day Gaozu began to rail him. "All I possess I have won on horseback!" said the emperor. "Why should I bother with the Odes and Documents?""Your Majesty may have won it on horseback, but can you rule it on horseback?" asked Master Lu... "Qin entrusted its future solely to punishment and law, without changing with the times, and thus eventually brought about the destruction of its ruling family (Zhao). If, after it had united the world under its rule, Qin had practised benevolence and righteousness and modeled its way upon the sages of antiquity, how would Your Majesty ever have been able to win possession of the empire?" - translated by Burton Watson in Records of The Grand Historian
Source: 司馬遷《史記》卷九十七酈生陸賈列傳。香港: 廣智書局, 出版年份缺, p.74。Burton Watson, Records of The Grand Historian. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961, pp.226-227.
[xvi] Ban Si (班嗣, ?-?) was a member of the renowned Ban family (see Book of Han - Afterword and Family History I《漢書•敘傳上》) . He was documented to have studied Confucianism, yet cherished the ways of Laozi and Zhuangzi:
嗣雖修儒學，然貴老嚴(莊)之術 ... 曰：「若夫嚴(莊)子者，絕聖棄智，修生保真，清虛澹泊，歸之自然，獨師友造化，而不為世俗所役者也。」
Although Ban Si studied Confucianism, he cherished the ways of Laozi and Zhuangzi ... He once said, "As for a follower of Zhuangzi, one should insulate oneself from the sages and leave one's wisdom behind, take care of oneself and preserve one's true nature, live simply with modesty, return oneself to Nature, and take Nature as the only teacher and friend so that one will not be enslaved by the mundane world."(interpreted by KS Vincent Poon)
Source: 班固 《漢書》卷一百上 敘傳上。 香港: 中華書局,1970, p.4205。
[xvii]Yang Wangsun (楊王孫,?-?) was a follower of the "Way of Huang–Lao (黃老之術)". Accordingly to the Book of Han, Yang preferred his corpse to be buried naked so as to facilitate its return to its original true nature:
楊王孫者，孝武時人也。學黃老之術...及病且終，先令其子，曰：「吾欲臝葬，以反吾真，必亡易吾意。」
[xviii] "稧" is tantamount to "禊", please see Kangxi Dictionary《康熙字典》"稧".Source: 班固 《漢書》卷六十七楊胡朱梅云傳。 香港: 中華書局, 1970, p.2907。
[xix] Some contend "會稽山陰" is "會稽郡山陰縣 (Province of Kuaiji, County of Shanyin)".
[xx] "領" is tantamount to "嶺", please see Kangxi Dictionary《康熙字典》"領".
[xxi] "暎" is tantamount to "映", please see Kangxi Dictionary《康熙字典》"暎". “映” here means “相映” as in 《後漢書‧張衡傳》：“冠咢咢其映蓋兮，佩綝纚以煇煌。” 李賢注：“映蓋謂冠與車蓋相映也。” (see中央研究院 搜詞尋字). “映” does not necessarily mean “照 (reflect)” in this context.
“帶” here means “圍繞(surrounded by)” as in《戰國策‧楚策一》：“秦地半天下，兵敵四國，被山帶河，四塞以為固。” (see中央研究院 搜詞尋字). Need to check reference.