"Yonghe was nine years old, but he was ugly in Kwai. At the beginning of the spring, I will repair things in the Lanting in the mountains of Huiji. A group of wise men never fails to arrive, but a few are long and salty. There are mountains and mountains here, and bamboo is cultivated in Maolin; There is also a clear current and turbulent flow, which reflects the left and right, and is thought to be a stream of water. Sitting in the second place, although it is not as prosperous as the string of silk and bamboo, it is enough to talk about love. " This is the beginning of Preface to Lanting Collection, the masterpiece of Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (A.D. 321-379). Under what circumstances was this preface written? What does it have to do with Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievements?

xiuzhu of Lanting

"Yonghe" in Preface to Lanting Collection is the title of Mu Di in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Yonghe nine years, in 353 AD. Lanting was in the territory of Huiji County at that time, and the governance of Huiji County was located in Shanyin, which is now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. Lanting was located in the suburb of Shanyin. Lanting area has beautiful mountains and rivers, and it has been a favorite place for literati to visit since ancient times. Although the architecture of Lanting was changed later, it is still a major scenic spot in Shaoxing. Wang Xizhi came here with other celebrities this time on the third day of March in the summer calendar. Why did you choose this day to come here? It turns out that in ancient times, a repair activity was held on this day. Xiu is an activity held by ancient people to drive away evil and diseases. This activity was chosen by the river because water can wash away filth, eliminate disasters and prevent diseases. In order to celebrate the elimination of the disaster, people feast by the river. When feasting, let the glass drift in the river until it stops in front of someone, who will gulp down the wine and then sing poems and songs to increase elegance.

The reason why this activity in Lanting in 353 BC was recorded in history and enjoyed by people was mainly because Wang Xizhi wrote an anthology for the people who participated in it. This preface describes both scenery and feelings from the content, expressing one's inner contradictions and feelings; More importantly, from the perspective of calligraphy, the preface was written in a bold and unrestrained manner, which raised the art of calligraphy to the best level at that time. The full text is 324 words, with clear words. There are 2 characters in the text, each with its own charm and no similarities. Therefore, this preface is regarded as a treasure by later generations.

absorption and originality

Wang Xizhi was a general of the right army in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and he will review the internal history. He was only 32 when he wrote the preface to Lanting. A person who is just over 3 years old can have high attainments in calligraphy, which is inseparable from his diligent study and practice since childhood. Wang Xizhi was learning calligraphy at the age of six or seven, and his uncle Wang Biao was a contemporary calligrapher. Wang Xizhi was deeply influenced by his learning calligraphy. Wang Xizhi worships Mrs Wei as a teacher, and Mrs Wei is a famous calligrapher in the contemporary era, and her calligraphy has won Zhong You, the pioneer of regular script font. She once said a famous saying that when writing, "when you write, you must do your best to send it."

under the guidance of famous artists, Wang Xizhi was fascinated by learning calligraphy. He writes with a pen all day, but he can't walk with a pen, so he gestures with his fingers on his skirt; When sitting there talking to others, I kept pointing my fingers on my clothes, and my skirt was punctured after a long time. After he became famous, he said in a letter to others: "Zhang Zhi studied books in the pool, and the water in the pool was exhausted, so it may not be the last." Zhang Zhi was a calligrapher at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who was good at writing cursive script, and was later called "the sage of grass". Wang Xizhi's words mean that Zhang Zhi used the ink in the pool to wash the pen. Over time, the pool turned black. If you have the hard work spirit of Zhang Zhi, your achievements may not be worse than Zhang Zhi's. Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievement is greater than Zhang Zhi's, and his hard work will surpass Zhang Zhi's. However, Wang Xizhi's learning from his predecessors' calligraphy experience is not entirely imitation and inheritance. He learned from the strengths of various schools, innovated through his own integration, and became a whole. Others once commented on Wang Xizhi's font: "It is a shame to analyze Zhang Gong's grass (book) and compromise with thick fiber;" Profits and losses of Zhong Jun (referring to Zhong You), although the use of Zenghua, but quaint. " Therefore, studying hard and being good at collecting the strengths of various factions and creating a unique school are the main reasons why Wang Xizhi became a book saint.

change books into white geese

Wang Xizhi's family was a noble family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In this big family, there are several young people of Wang Xizhi's age. Chi Jian, who was Qiu at that time, wanted to choose a son-in-law for his daughter, so he sent his protege to the Wangs to observe. When those young people heard that the Xi family wanted a husband, they really dressed up and put on a gentle look, which made people feel disgusting. At that time, in the palace, only a young man sat alone in the east bed, burying his head in food without care, and his expression was extremely natural. People reported what they saw to Chi Jian truthfully, and Chi Jian said, "This is the right husband for me.". This young man is Wang Xizhi. Later generations used "choosing a son-in-law in the east bed" or "choosing a son-in-law in the east bed" as an idiom to describe finding a son-in-law who is satisfied. Later, Chi Jian's daughter Xi Zhuo married Wang Xizhi. Yun's calligraphy level is also very high, and some of the notepads signed by Wang Xizhi are actually ghostwriters of Yun.

when Wang Xizhi was young, his calligraphy level was not as good as that of Yu Yi and Li Yun, the famous artists at that time, but in his later years, others gave him a different evaluation. Yu Yi once wrote to Wang Xizhi and said, "At the beginning, I kept 1 cursive scripts written by Zhang Zhi, and I thought it was the best work I have ever seen. However, I lost it when crossing the south of the Yangtze River at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, and I felt very sorry that I would never see the masterpiece again. I happened to see your letter to my brother the other day. Your calligraphy has reached the point of being a god, which makes me seem to see the best works again. " It can be seen that it is never too old to learn that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy art level has reached the level of perfection.

when Wang Xizhi was alive, his works were collected as treasures. People say that his calligraphy is "floating like a cloud, agile as a dragon." A Taoist priest in Shanyin County learned that Wang Xizhi had a special hobby for geese, so he specially raised a small flock of geese. When Wang Xizhi saw the geese through the Taoist temple, he liked them very much and wanted to buy them back. The Taoist said, "As long as you copy a Taoist scripture for me, I will give them to you." Wang Xizhi wrote happily, and after writing, he returned home in a cage, very happy. There is an old woman selling bamboo fans, selling them in the street. When Wang Xizhi passed by, he wrote a few words on each bamboo fan and said to the old woman, "Just say that this fan was written by Wang Youjun, and it costs one hundred yuan each." Sure enough, passers-by rushed to buy them, and soon the fans were sold out.

Wang Xizhi's sons are all keen on calligraphy, among which Wang Xianzhi has made the greatest achievement. When Wang Xianzhi was seven or eight years old, once he was practicing calligraphy, Wang Hucao stood behind him and suddenly pulled out his pen from behind him, but he didn't pull it out, showing Wang Xianzhi's hard concentration. Later generations called him and Wang Xizhi "two kings".

I tried my best to answer.