The vinegar tasters

The Vinegar tasters (三酸圖, three sips; 嘗醋翁 or old men tasting vinegar; 嘗醋圖, 尝醋图), is an allegoric picture that represents  Confucianism, Buddhism and the Taoism, favorably with the last one and critically with the other two.

In the picture, three men are dipping a finger in a vinegar pot and tasting it. One of the men reacts with a sour expression, other reacts with a bitter expression and the last one reacts with a sweet expression. The three men are representations of Confucius, Gautama Buddha and Laozi and represent the three greatest Chinese philosophical traditions and the predominant attitude towards life of each one of them.

Confucianism sees life like something sour that needs rules to correct the degeneration of the people's attitudes. Buddhism sees life like a bitter experience, full of fear and pain. Taoism, however, doesn't waste time valuing life, it simply sees things as they are in their natural state and accepts them as they are.

Other interpretation of the painting is one called "three teachings in one".

 Kakuzo. The Book of Tea (EasyRead Edition). ReadHowYouWant.com. 2006. p.23. ISBN 1-4250-0026-6.
 Smith, Gilly. Asian Secrets of Sexual Ecstasy: Discover the Power of Bliss. Citadel Press. 1996. p. 8. ISBN 0-8065-1804-9
 Hopfe, Lewis M; revised by Woodward, Mark R. "Religions of the World". Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007. p 176. ISBN 0-13-224045-9
 Ji, Sang. Religions and Religious Life in China. China Intercontinental Press, 2004.
 Smith, Huston. The World's Religions. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1958.

 Other websites 

 Three teachings in one in English Wikipedia
 An excerpt from The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff 
 An interpretation of The Vinegar Tasters

Category:1880s paintings
Category:Confucianism
Category:Taoism
Category:Buddhist terminology
Category:Religion in China