Book sage Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (303-36 1 year) was born in Linyi (now Linyi City, Shandong Province). A minister and calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he has the reputation of "calligrapher" in the history of China.
Wang Xizhi is the nephew of Stuart Wang Dao. His grandfather is Shang and his father is Wang Kuang, the satrap of Huainan. He comes from an official family.
When Wang Xizhi was young, he was not better-looking than other children, and his speech was relatively dull, as if he were not so smart. At the age of thirteen, I went to see Zhou E, the former assistant minister of the official department. After careful observation, Zhou E thought he was very strange. At that time, it was popular to eat beef heart. Before the guests in the seat finished eating, Zhou specially cut it open and gave it to Wang Xizhi first. Zhou Zhuan was a senior official and celebrity at that time. Because of him, Wang Xizhi began to be known by everyone.
When he grew up, he was thoughtful and famous for his honesty and frankness. He loves calligraphy, especially writing official script, ranking first in ancient and modern times. Critics of his calligraphy praised his brushwork, saying it was as erratic as clouds and as vigorous as dragons.
Because of his talent, he was highly valued by Tang Bo, Wang Dun and Wang Dao. Ruan Yu was a famous Chen Liuren at that time, and it was Wang Dun's main work. Wang Dun once said to Wang Xizhi, "You are a good boy in our family, and you will not be worse than Master Ruan." Ruan Yu also called Wang Xizhi, Wang Cheng and Wang Yue the Wangs and treated them differently.
At that time, there was a daughter who was not married. Chi Jian loves this daughter very much and wants to choose a good son-in-law for her. He had a deep friendship with Prime Minister Wang Dao and was an official at the same time, so he thought of choosing one of the children of the Wangs. Wang Dao readily promised to let him choose. Chi Jian ordered his confidant housekeeper to bring a heavy gift to the Wangs. When the children in Wang Fu heard that Qiu Xi sent someone to find her husband, they all dressed up and came out to meet each other, eager to be selected. Only one of the children is missing. When the housekeeper took the housekeeper to the study of the East Cross Court, he found a young man lying on his back in a bed near the east wall, seemingly indifferent to Qiu's search for a husband. The housekeeper of Xi's mansion returned to the mansion and said to Tai Wei, "I heard that Xi's mansion is looking for a husband, and there are more than twenty younger sons in the palace, all vying for it." There is only one son lying on the east bed, and nothing happens. " Chi Jian said, "This is the kind of person I want to choose. Show me quickly. " When Chi Jian came to Wang Fu, he saw that this man was both enlightened and elegant, talented and handsome. I got the dowry on the spot and chose him as my son-in-law. This man is Wang Xizhi, and the "son-in-law of the East Bed" came from here.
Wang Xizhi is not very interested in being an official. He was called up as a secretary. Yu Liang, the general of the Western Expedition, invited him to join the army and was promoted to a long history. Before Yu Liang died, Wang Xizhi was said to be noble and knowledgeable. The court also named him General Ningyuan and Jiangzhou Secretariat. Wang Xizhi is young and has a good reputation. All the officials in the imperial court like his talent and quality. He has been called to serve as an assistant minister and official for many times, but he is unwilling to take office. I once again paid tribute to the general of the Guards, but he also postponed and refused to take office.
Yin Hao, the secretariat of Yangzhou, always attached great importance to him and wrote to persuade him to die. Wang Xizhi wrote back and said, "I never had the idea of serving in North Korea. When Wang became prime minister, he really wanted me to enter the DPRK, and he vowed not to allow it. The ink is still there. "
After Wang Xizhi, he was appointed as a general of the right army and a civilian. At that time, Yin Hao was at odds with Huan Wen. Wang Xizhi believes that national peace lies in internal and external harmony. So he wrote to Yin Hao to exhort him. David moses wouldn't listen. From Yin Hao to the Northern Expedition. Wang Xizhi believes that it will definitely fail. Write a letter to stop it. Your words are sincere. But Yin Hao went out and was defeated. It can be seen that Wang Xizhi still has political strategy and vision.
Wang Xizhi is very particular about taking Dan medicine for health. He doesn't want to stay in Beijing. When he first arrived in Zhejiang, he had the idea of dying here. Huiji has beautiful scenery, many celebrities live there, and Xie An lived there when he was an official. Sun Chu, Li Chong, Xu Xun, Zhi Dun, etc. They are all famous for their moral articles, and they all build houses here, just like Wang Xizhi's ambition, so Wang Xizhi likes this place very much and likes to associate with these people.
In the eleventh year of Yonghe (355), because he was used to the darkness of officialdom and didn't want to be bullied by the villains in officialdom, one day in late spring, Wang Xizhi, who was over half a hundred years old, swore to heaven at his parents' grave: "Never set foot in officialdom again and step into official career. If you violate this statement, you will be an unfilial son, not contained in heaven and earth, and not tolerated by the famous religion. " A firm oath is like the sun. "Therefore, he said he was ill and resigned. Moved to Shaoxing Jinting. Since then, the court did not dare to recruit him because of his bad words.
According to the history book, after his resignation, he "moved from Wuxi to Shaoxing Jinting with his son Wang Cao." Build a library, plant mulberry, teach children, write poems, do calligraphy and painting, and let geese fish for entertainment. "After Wang Xizhi arrived at the official position, he liked to travel and fish with the locals. Together with Taoist Xu Mai, he learned to take Dan medicine, collected medicinal stones thousands of miles away, traveled all over the eastern counties, climbed famous mountains and went boating in the sea. He lamented: "I will eventually die of amusement. "
Wang Xizhi enjoys this life very much. In a letter to a friend, he said: "Some ancient hermits put on their hair and pretended to be crazy, while others deliberately pretended to be filthy, which was difficult. Now I sit back and relax, and I have fulfilled my wish for many years. Isn't this a blessing from heaven? It is ominous to go against God's will. I have just returned from a trip to the East recently. Planting mulberry and fruit trees. Now it is booming and has blossomed. Take the children, hold the young grandson, and tour in the Woods. When you pick the sweet fruit and cut it for everyone to eat, you will win the joy in front of you. " What a beautiful picture. From here, we can feel that Wang Xizhi's life at this time is happy.
In the fifth year of Shengping (36 1), Wang Xizhi died at the age of 59. Buried in waterfall mountain after death. The court posthumously awarded him as Dr. Jin Ziguang Lu. His children obeyed their father's wishes and refused to accept them.
Wang Xizhi is a milestone in the history of calligraphy art in China.
He loved calligraphy since childhood and was enlightened by his father Wang Kuang and uncle Wang Xun. He was a good book at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, he stole the pen theory of the previous generation from his father's pillow and learned a lot. Wang Kuang's good deeds and official letters; Wang Xun was good at calligraphy and painting, and Wang Xizhi was deeply influenced by Wang's calligraphy since he was a child.
Wang Xizhi studied calligraphy with Mrs. Wei in his early years. Mrs. Wei, whose real name is Wei Shuo, studied under Zhong You and taught Wang Xizhi Zhong You's calligraphy skills, his family's methods of learning calligraphy from generation to generation and his own calligraphy style. The book review of the Tang Dynasty said: "Mrs. Wei's books are like flower arranging dancers, and the beauty is humble." Another example is the beauty on the stage, the fairy shadow, the red lotus reflection water and the blue marsh floating. "This passage vividly describes the beauty of Mrs. Wei's calligraphy.
However, Wang Xizhi did not stop at what he had learned at this time, but kept pursuing and exploring. He himself said: "It would be great to learn from Mrs. Wei's book; And crossing the river to visit the famous mountains in the north, comparing books such as Lisi and Cao; And make a promise, see Zhong You, Liang Yu book; See Cai Yong's Three-body Book of The Book of Songs; At the meeting place with my brother, I saw Zhang Chang's Hua Yue Monument. It took me several years to learn Mrs. Wei's book. ..... I changed my teacher, and I still studied historical sites. " From this passage, we can see that in his calligraphy creation, Wang Xizhi is constantly broadening his horizons, studying extensively, exploring the source and understanding the Tao, and moving forward step by step.
Wang Xizhi is ambitious and creative. No matter you learn from Zhong You or Zhang Zhi, you can melt yourself and use it for yourself. You don't stick to the past and turn your back on the present. He used the different brushstrokes of seal script in Qin and Han dynasties flexibly and skillfully, and integrated them into the real cursive script, forming his own unique style. His calligraphy is good at calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, and calligraphy. He learns from others' strengths, prepares his strengths, and melts into one furnace. His painting style is peaceful and natural, his brushwork is euphemistic and implicit, and his style is beautiful and far-reaching. Xiao Yan said: "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is vigorous and free, like a dragon jumping into the sky and a tiger lying in a phoenix, so it will be treasured from generation to generation and will always be the motto."
Speaking of Wang Xizhi, naturally, I can't help but mention Preface to Lanting. In the ninth year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (353), on the third day of the third lunar month, when 465,438+0 people, including Wang Xizhi, Xie An and Sun Chuo, were in Lanting, Shaoxing (an ancient folk ceremony held by the water in the Spring and Autumn Period), everyone drank wine and wrote poems. Wang Xizhi was fascinated by this and wrote a preface to this collection of poems, describing the elegant collection of literati at that time. This is the famous Preface to Lanting Collection.
Facing the beautiful scenery and friends, Wang Xizhi wrote the preface of "Charming and vigorous, peerless and everlasting" with cocoon paper and eight-character pen. The Preface to the Lanting Pavilion is colorful, patchwork and ever-changing, and the 20 words "ambition" in the post have their own merits. It contains the author's skillful pen and ink skills, profound traditional skills, extensive cultural accomplishment and noble artistic sentiment. It is said that Wang Xizhi rewrote it dozens of times after returning to China, but it was not as good as the original, so he especially liked this article and gave it to future generations for collection.
Wang Xizhi is known as a calligrapher because of his exquisite brushwork. The expressive brushwork he created enriched the diversity of China's calligraphy art, and he made every word look elegant and smooth, giving people a sense of leisure and forming a unique style. His calligraphy composition is also excellent. No matter "Preface to Lanting Collection" or his "Sunny Post in Fast Snow", the composition and layout are eclectic, and they can all become a whole, giving people the feeling of one go. His calligraphy works are full of feelings, and they are all works of true feelings, especially the Preface to Lanting. Brush strokes fluctuate with the ups and downs of mood, and change with the changes of mood.
There are many rumors about Wang Xizhi, which shows people's love for him from another side.
Legend has it that the emperor at that time was going to sacrifice in the northern suburbs, and asked Wang Xizhi to write his congratulatory message on the board, and then sent someone to carve it. The sculptor cut the board layer by layer and found that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy ink had been printed into the board. He didn't reach the bottom until he cut into a depth of three points. Woodworkers are amazed at Wang Xizhi's pen power, perfect calligraphy skills and his pen power. Cut to the chase is derived from this story.
Wang Xizhi also likes geese very much. He believes that raising geese can not only cultivate sentiment, but also learn some calligraphy skills from observing the movements of geese. Once Wang Xizhi went out to play and saw a group of beautiful white geese, so he wanted to buy them. I didn't know that these geese were raised by a Taoist nearby, so I found the Taoist who wanted to discuss buying geese with him. When the Taoist heard that the famous Wang Xizhi wanted to buy a goose, he said that as long as Wang Youjun could help me copy the Tao Te Ching, he would give it to him. Wang Xizhi readily agreed, which turned the book into a white goose.
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has a great influence on later generations. The climax of learning Wang Xizhi's calligraphy for the first time in history appeared in Nanliang and the second time in Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, highly praised Wang Xizhi, not only collected Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works extensively, but also personally wrote a eulogy for Wang Xizhi's Biography of the Book of Jin. Through the evaluation of Zhong You, Wang Xianzhi, Ziyun, Wang Meng and Yan Xu, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is "perfect". And he said: "I am eager to be chased by my hand, but this person is like that, and the rest are just things like that." What's the point? " Since then, Wang Xizhi's supreme position in the history of calligraphy has been established and consolidated.
People who study calligraphy in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties all admire the "two kings". Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Xue Qi, Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan in the Tang Dynasty, Yang Ningshi in the Five Dynasties, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei and Cai Xiang in the Song Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty and Dong Qichang in the Ming Dynasty all worshipped and imitated Wang Xizhi, which made him enjoy the reputation of "the sage of books".
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, loved Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works very much. He tried his best to get the Preface to Lanting, and often "sat by and watched it day and night". In the tenth year of Zhenguan (AD 636), he ordered calligraphers such as Feng Chengsu, Yu Shinan, and Chu Suiliang to copy and spread out ten books and give them to recent ministers. After his death, he brought the original into Zhaoling as a funerary object. So today, we can't see the original work of Lanting Preface, and we can only see the manuscripts of the Tang Dynasty that are not as good as the original work.
Wang Xizhi's extraordinary character and superb artistic achievements have made future generations admire him. As mentioned earlier, someone once compared the Preface to Lanting to Shi Chong's Preface to Jingu Poetry. For this reason, Su Dongpo commented in "The Right Army": "The meeting of Lanting is better than Jingu, and the meeting of Jingu is not as good as Lun Ji ... The meeting of Jingu is also a friend of dust; Jilun is to Shao Yi what a kite is to a swan. " Su Dongpo means that as far as the people at the party are concerned, the people at the Jingu party are "seeking dust" (seeking fame and profit), which is far less elegant than those at the Lanting party; As far as the comparison between Wang Xizhi and Shi Chong is concerned, it is swan (swan; In China's mythology, the relationship between swans and kites (that is, kites flying low in meadows and swamps and feeding on rats, snakes, frogs, birds and insects) is totally different. This metaphor is so vivid that it should be praised!