This refers to the joy Ouyang Xiu ( 1007-1072 ), a Northern Song scholar, found when casting his thoughts to nature, so as to dispel his gloom. This concept was proposed in his essay “The Old Drunkard Pavilion.” Zuiweng (醉翁), literally “old drunkard,”was Ouyang Xiu’s alias. A supporter of Fan Zhongyan’s (989-1052) political reforms, or “new deal” in the Qingli period, Ouyang Xiu offended the powerful figures in the imperial court, who framed him with baseless accusations, and he was consequently demoted to a magistrate of Chuzhou Prefecture. Suffering such a political setback in his prime, Ouyang Xiu was despondent and depressed. Hence he took frequent outings and excursions to indulge in the natural environment of mountains and rivers, often intoxicated with drink while sharing his joys with the common folks. The joy of the old drunkard thus refers to his way of deriving pleasure from nature. It also connotes a sense of bitterness due to his demotion.

What intoxicates this old drunkard is not the wine but the mountains and rivers. The joys afforded by nature are felt in the heart and savoured through the wine. (Ouyang Xiu: The Old Drunkard Pavilion)

Those who believe they have integrity and independence will often roam alone in gardens and woods, and compare themselves to the old drunkard who enjoyed mountains and rivers and gained enlightenment from nature. (Zhu Sheng: First Prosody on the East Garden with a Preface)