Zhu Yunming (1460-1526), zi Xizhe, was born with an extra finger (zhizhi in Chinese) in his right hand and thus called himself Zhishan and Zhizhisheng.  He earned the juren degree in 1492, but he failed to advance further in the civil examinations and had an unsuccessful career in office.  During the Zhengde reign (1505-21), he served as Magistrate of Xingning Prefecture in Guangdong and Prefect of Yingtian County, but retired to his hometown several years later to devote himself to poetry and literature.

An avid reader, Zhu Yunming was a skilled poet and calligrapher, and his fame attracted followers of his poetry and artwork.  As a calligrapher, he was adept at regular, running, cursive, and other scripts, and esp...