In calligraphy circles he is revered as the highest authority.
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history
From the 《新唐书·韩愈传赞》: after Han Yu's death, 'his words spread widely; scholars looked up to him as to Mount Tai and the Big Dipper' (学者仰之如泰山北斗云). The metaphor pairs two universally visible references - the holiest of the Five Sacred Mountains and the seven brightest stars of the northern sky - to praise someone everyone in a field looks to.
memory
Mount Tai (泰山) is the mountain you climb to revere; the Big Dipper (北斗) is the constellation you navigate by. Together they're the literal highest and the literal guiding star - a perfect metaphor for an unquestioned authority.
