據宋人《宣和畫譜》一書著錄北宋徽宗所藏內府畫作之中，以儒釋道三教人物為畫作題材者，於唐末著名人物畫家孫位筆下已可得見。惟此類以儒釋道三教人物為題材的人物畫，再三教代表人物的取擇上皆以孔子、老子及釋迦為主，並且在構圖佈局上，三者間多以對視坐姿直皆呈顯，但就此一繪畫題材而言，其構圖在藝術表現上，並無突出發揮之處。但在宋人的〈虎溪三笑圖〉中，三教的代表人物明顯易位，由陶淵明、慧遠與陸修進三人替代了孔、老、釋迦三者，而三教在現實社會中的政、教衝突，也隱然無形解消於藝術家的冀望與巧筆之中。

In China, we could find painters choosing the same painting topic of Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist as painting characters (三教圖) in painters' works of late Tang Dynasty. The ordonnance of those painting works have the same characteristics: At First, they choose Confucius (孔子), Lau-Tsu (老子), Sakyamuni (釋迦牟尼) as subjects; and the composition of ordonnance express an triangle tension, people are seat and stare at others. It presented the real political condition. However, in Sung Dynasty, the subjects of painter's work “The three laughters of Tiger Creek” (虎溪三笑圖), were changed into Tao Yuan Ming (陶淵明), Hui Yuan (慧遠), Lu Hsio Jing (陸修靜), and the ordonnance compose change conflict into an accordant ecstasy. The political conflict of real world was subsided into a painter's expect and ingenuity easily.

虎溪三笑、慧遠、陶淵明、陸修靜、東林寺

The three laughters of Tiger Creek, Hui Yuan, Tao Yuan Ming, Lu Hsio Jing, Ton Lin temple