Su Shi's view of "calligraphy is like the person" put forward by Su Shi in calligraphy appreciation is based on Confucianism. It is also the view that Yang Xiong of the Han Dynasty "calligraphy is the heart of the painting" and Liu Gongquan of the Tang Dynasty "the heart is the rule of the pen". The inheritance and development of concepts such as "righteousness". Su Shi pointed out in "Baqian Gong Yi Shu Yi Jing Jing": "There are good and ugly faces, but the attitude of a gentleman and a villain cannot be concealed. There are differences in words, but the spirit of a gentleman and a villain cannot be deceived. There are clumsiness in writing. , but the heart of a gentleman should not be confused." [2] Therefore, "Although Mr. Qian did not learn to read, he looked at his books and knew that he was a loyal, trustworthy, and righteous person." [3] This is how he knew from his books. People, on the other hand, people talk about their books. Su Shi loudly declared: "In ancient times, when discussing calligraphy and also discussing his life, it is not his own, even though his work is not expensive." [4] This view not only illustrates the role of Su Shi in attaching great importance to ideological quality in calligraphy appreciation, but also Explain the close connection between law and character. Calligraphy is the expression of people's ideological quality. Therefore, to evaluate the quality of a work, one cannot just start with the calligraphy's craftsmanship. More importantly, it is important to grasp the calligrapher's thoughts, emotions and moral qualities from the work. This is what Su Shi adheres to in Confucianism. The thoughts of "benevolence, justice, etiquette and music, loyalty, trust, filial piety and brotherhood" are reflected in the book theory.

Su Shi's appreciation view is very clearly reflected in his comments on many great calligraphers in the past. Take Yan Zhenqing as an example. It was only in the Song Dynasty that Yan Shu achieved the same prominent status as Wang Xizhi in the history of calligraphy. Just as Du Fu became a "sage of poetry" in the Song Dynasty, it reflects the changes in the mentality and aesthetic concepts of the literati and officials in the Song Dynasty. . Yan Zhenqing was upright and upright throughout his life, honest and straightforward, not afraid of powerful people, and was famous for his righteousness and righteousness. Yan's calligraphy replaced the square and vigorous brushwork of Jin people with round and vigorous brushwork, and replaced the beautiful Erwang calligraphy style with a smooth and dignified structure. It is majestic and self-contained, creating a new trend for a generation. However, this new trend was viewed with disapproval by some at that time and in later generations. Li Yu said that Yan's calligraphy "has regular script but no merit, just like crossing hands and feet in the field to abandon Han". But Su Shi's focus was to see his character through his books. "Ti Lu Gong Tie" says: "When I look at Yan Gong's letter, I don't want to see him criticizing Lu Qi and scolding Xi Lie."[4] Yan Zhenqing's words are associated with him as a person, and the person further affirms the artistic achievements of his writings. This is the practical application of Su Shi's theory of appreciation. Another example is his comment on Ouyang Xiuyun in "Postscript of Ouyang Wenzhong Gongshu": "Ouyang Wenzhong Gong uses a sharp pen and dry ink to make square characters, and his hair is full of energy and moisturizing.