Zhu Da (朱耷 in Chinese, 1626-1705), one of the "Four Monks" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty art world, was a descendant of the Ming Dynasty's royal family. His grandfather, father, and uncle were all literati skilled in painting. Growing up in a noble family, Zhu Da received artistic training from his elders.

When the Ming Dynasty collapsed in 1645, he feigned deafness and dumbness, changed his name, and withdrew into the Buddhist community, hiding in the mountains and wilderness to escape persecution by the Manchu nobility of the Qing Dynasty and safeguard his identity. After spending thirteen years as a Buddhist monk, he then became the founding master of a Daoist temple. His dual life as both a monk and a Daoist was not driven by religious beliefs but rather served as a means to preserve himself under a foreign regime.

At the age of sixty, Zhu Da began signing his poems and paintings with the pseudonym "Bādàshānrén." When inscribing, he often intertwined the four characters "Bādàshānrén," resembling phrases like "哭之" (crying) and "笑之" (laughing), conveying his complex and tumultuous emotions.

In his later years, Zhu Da built and lived in a humble cottage on the outskirts of Nanchang, where he spent his lonely and impoverished old age until his passing.

As an artist, he is renowned for his freehand style with bold brushwork and excels in splashing ink, particularly in flower and bird paintings, which are highly esteemed by the later generations of artists. He draws inspiration from nature, using concise brushwork that is grand and majestic, carrying a unique and sometimes eccentric spirit, thereby creating a lofty and expansive style.