"Yonghe nine years, years old in kwai ugly. In the spring, I will repair things in the Lanting of Huiji Mountain. A group of smart people never miss, but some of them are long and salty. There are mountains here, and there are bamboo cultivation in Maolin; There is also a clear water flow and a rushing water flow, which are reflected left and right, thinking it is a water flow. Sitting in the second place, although 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 (AD 32 1-379), the masterpiece of Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Under what circumstances was this preface written? What does it have to do with Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievements?
Lan ting xiu Mao
Yonghe in Preface to Lanting Collection was the title of Moody in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Yonghe nine years, AD 353. Lanting was then in Huiji County, where Huiji County was located in Yin Shan, which is now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. Lanting is located in the suburb of Yin Shan. Lanting area has beautiful mountains and rivers, and it has been the favorite place for literati since ancient times. Although the architecture of Lanting changed later, it is still a major attraction in Shaoxing. Wang Xizhi and other celebrities came here 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, restoration activities were held on this day. "Hugh" is an activity held by ancient people to drive away evil and disease. This activity was chosen by rivers because water can wash away filth, eliminate disasters and prevent diseases. In order to celebrate the elimination of the disaster, people held a banquet by the river. When feasting, let the glass drift in the river until it stops in front of someone, who will drink it all at once and then recite poems to add elegance.
In 353 BC, this activity of Lanting was recorded in history and appreciated by people, mainly because Wang Xizhi wrote an anthology for the people involved. This preface not only describes the scenery from the content, but also expresses his inner contradictions and feelings; More importantly, from the perspective of calligraphy, the preface was written boldly and raised the art of calligraphy to the best level at that time. The full text is 324 words, with clear words. There are 20 characters in the article, each with charm and no similarities. Therefore, this preface is regarded as a treasure by future generations.
Absorption and innovation
Wang Xizhi was a general of the right army in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and he would review the internal history. He was only 32 years old when he wrote Preface to Lanting Collection. A person just over 30 years old can achieve high attainments in calligraphy, which is inseparable from his diligent study and practice since childhood. Wang Xizhi began to learn calligraphy at the age of six or seven, and his uncle Wang Biao is a contemporary calligrapher. Wang Xizhi's study of calligraphy was deeply influenced by it. Wang Xizhi took Mrs. Wei as his teacher. Mrs. Wei is a famous contemporary calligrapher, and Zhong You, a pioneer in calligraphy, won the regular script font. She once said a famous saying, when writing, "When you write, you must try your best to send it."
Under the guidance of famous artists, Wang Xizhi became fascinated with learning calligraphy. He wrote with a pen all day, but he couldn't walk with it, so he gestured on his skirt with his fingers; When sitting there talking to others, I kept pointing my finger at the clothes, and after a long time, my skirt was punctured. After he became famous, he said in a letter to others: "Zhang Zhi is studying by the pool, and the pool is exhausted, so it may not be the last one." Zhang Zhi was a calligrapher at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was good at writing cursive script, and was later called "Cao Sheng". Wang Xizhi's words mean that Zhang Zhi uses the ink in the pool to wash the pen. Over time, the pool turned black. If you have Zhang Zhi's fighting spirit, your grades may not be worse than Zhang Zhi's. Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievement is greater than that of Zhang Zhi, and his efforts will surpass that of Zhang Zhi. However, Wang Xizhi's study of predecessors' calligraphy experience is not entirely imitation and inheritance. He learned from the strengths of various schools and became a whole through his own integration and innovation. Others once commented on Wang Xizhi's font: "It is shameful to analyze Zhang Gong's grass (book) and compromise with crude fiber;" Profit and loss of Zhong Jun (Zhong You), although the use of Zeng Hua, but quaint. "So, studying hard, being good at collecting the strengths of each family and being unique are the main reasons why Wang Xizhi became a book saint.
White goose's book
Wang Xizhi's family was an aristocratic family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In this big family, there are several young people the same age as Wang Xizhi. It was Qiu at that time. He wanted to choose a son-in-law for his daughter, so he sent his apprentice to the Wangs for observation. When those young people heard that the Xi family wanted a husband, they really dressed up and pretended to be gentle, which made people feel sick. At that time, in the palace, there was only one young man sitting alone on the east bed, burying his head in food and looking extremely natural. People truthfully reported what they saw to Chi Jian, and Chi Jian said, "This is the right husband for me." . This young man is Wang Xizhi. Later generations used the idiom "choosing a son-in-law in the east bed" or "choosing a son-in-law in the east bed" to describe finding a satisfactory son-in-law. Later, Chi Jian's daughter Xi Zhuo married Wang Xizhi. Yun's calligraphy level is also very high. Some notebooks signed by Wang Xizhi are actually the ghostwriters of Yun.
When Wang Xizhi was young, his calligraphy level was not as good as that of a famous painter at that time, but in his later years, people gave him a different evaluation. Yu Yi once wrote to Wang Xizhi and said, "At the beginning, I kept the 65,438+00 cursive script written by Zhang Zhi, which I think is the best work I have ever seen. But I lost it when I crossed the south of the Yangtze River at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, and I feel sorry that I will never see the masterpiece again. I happened to see your letter to my brother the other day. Your calligraphy has reached a superb level, which makes me seem to see the best works again. " It can be seen that it is never too old to learn, and Wang Xizhi's calligraphy art level has reached the point of perfection.
When Wang Xizhi was alive, his works had been treasured. People say that his calligraphy is "floating like a cloud and agile like 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. Wang Xizhi saw the goose through the Taoist temple and liked it very much. He wanted to buy it back. The Taoist said, "As long as you copy me a copy of the Taoist scriptures, I will give them to you." Wang Xizhi was very happy when he finished writing. He went home in a cage and was 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 each one costs 100 yuan." Sure enough, passers-by rushed to buy, and soon the fans sold out.
Wang Xizhi's sons all studied calligraphy, among which Wang Xianzhi made the greatest achievement. When Wang Xianzhi was seven or eight years old, once he was practicing calligraphy, Wang Hu Cao stood behind him and suddenly took out his pen from behind, but he didn't pull it out, which shows Wang Xianzhi's hard work and concentration. Later generations called him and Wang Xizhi "two kings".