Floating like floating clouds, swimming like a frightened dragon.

Xizhi began to learn calligraphy at the age of seven. He studied under Mrs. Wei and his uncle Wang_ who came from a calligraphy family. Later, he read the ancient and simple masterpieces of the seal script masters of Qin and Han Dynasties, studied the postures carefully, and imitated them by heart. He picked up the strengths of many people and smelted them in one furnace, creating a running script that is "natural in nature and abundant in gods", and was hailed as the "Sage of Calligraphy" by later generations.

Li Zhimin, a professor at Peking University and the founder of the introduction of stele into grass, commented: "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy not only expresses the simplicity and profoundness based on the philosophy of Lao and Zhuang, but also expresses the harmony based on the Confucian golden mean. ." In his later years, his calligraphy reached its peak, and "Lanting Preface" was his proud work in his later years.

Among Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works, "Lanting Preface" is recognized by calligraphers of all dynasties as the unparalleled "No. 1 running script in the world". Wang Xizhi (AD 303-361), the most outstanding calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, had the courtesy name Yishao. He was a native of Linyi, Langye, and a native of Shanyin in Kuaiji. He was a general of the Youjun Army, so he was called "Wang Youjun".

Extended information:

Wang Xizhi’s best calligraphy in his life is the "Preface to the Lanting Collection". That was his work in middle age.

There was a custom in the Eastern Jin Dynasty that on March 3rd of the lunar calendar every year, people had to go to the river to play to eliminate bad luck. This was called "Xiu_". On March 3 of the ninth year of Yonghe, Wang Xizhi and some literati, numbering forty-one, went to the riverside of Lanting to repair. Everyone drank and wrote poems.

After finishing the poems, everyone collected them and combined them into a "Preface to the Lanting Collection". Wang Xizhi was recommended to write a preface. Wang Xizhi was already drunk at this time. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he picked up the rat whisker pen and began to write on the silkworm cocoon paper. This preface became the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" which later became famous throughout the ages. This post is a draft, 28 lines, 324 words. It describes the gathering of literati at that time.

The author was very excited when he wrote it and was very proud of it. It is said that he could no longer be caught writing it again later. There are more than twenty characters "Zhi" written in different ways. Mi Fu in the Song Dynasty called it "the best running script in the world".

Reference materials:

Baidu Encyclopedia—Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy