Yan Zhenqing (August 23, 709-784), whose real name was Chen Qing, alias Xianmenzi, alias Fang Ying, was born in Jingzhao Wannian (now Xi, Shaanxi), and his ancestral home was Langxie Linyi (now Linyi, Shandong). Yan Shigu V was a famous minister and outstanding calligrapher in Tang Dynasty.
Yan Zhenqing was a famous calligrapher in Tang Dynasty. In order to learn calligraphy, Yan Zhenqing first learned from Chu Suiliang, and then worshipped Zhang Xu as his teacher. Zhang Xu was a famous calligrapher in Tang Dynasty. He could write all kinds of fonts, especially cursive script. Yan Zhenqing hopes that under the guidance of this famous teacher, he will soon learn the tricks of writing and become famous at one fell swoop. However, Zhang Xu did not reveal any secrets of calligraphy after learning from a teacher. He just introduced some famous copybooks to Yan Zhenqing, and simply pointed out the characteristics of copybooks for Yan Zhenqing to copy. Sometimes, he takes Yan Zhenqing to climb mountains, go swimming, go to the market and go to the theatre. Let Yan Zhenqing practice calligraphy when he gets home, or watch him write calligraphy.
A few months passed in an instant, and Yan Zhenqing was so anxious that he couldn't come up with the secret of the teacher's calligraphy that he decided to ask the teacher directly.
One day, Yan Zhenqing stood up and said with a red face, "The students have something to ask. Please ask the teacher to teach them the secret of calligraphy."
Zhang Xu replied: "To learn calligraphy, one must' learn engineering', that is, study hard and practice hard; Second, we should "comprehend", that is, accept the inspiration of all natural phenomena. Didn't I tell you many times? "
Hearing this, Yan Zhenqing thought that the teacher was unwilling to teach the secret and stepped forward. On him, he pleaded: "I know everything the teacher said, such as' engineering' and' understanding'." What I need most now is the secret recipe of the teacher's stunt, so please teach me. "
Zhang Xu still patiently enlightened Yan Zhenqing: "I saw the princess arguing with the porter and examining the brushwork. When I saw Gong Sundaniang dancing sword, I got the charm of writing. Apart from hard training, I have observed nature and nothing else. "
Then, he told Yan Zhenqing the story of Wang Xianzhi, the son of Wang Xizhi, a book sage in Jin Dynasty, practicing calligraphy. Finally, he said seriously, "If there is any secret to learning calligraphy, it is to study hard and practice hard. Remember, people who don't work hard won't achieve anything. "
Yan Zhenqing was greatly inspired by the teacher's teaching, and he really understood the learning methods. From then on, he studied hard, studied hard, learned the charm of calligraphy from life, made rapid progress, and finally became a great calligrapher, ranking first among the four calligraphers.
2. Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (303-36 1 year, 32 1-379), Han nationality, was a famous calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and was known as the "book saint". Originally from Langya (now Linyi, Shandong), he moved to Huiji Yin Shan (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and lived in seclusion in Jinting County in his later years. Successive secretary, general Ningyuan, Jiangzhou secretariat, later literature and history records, right general. His calligraphy is good at calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy. The style is peaceful and natural, the brushwork is euphemistic and subtle, and it is beautiful. The masterpiece Preface to Lanting is known as "the best running script in the world". In the history of calligraphy, he and his son Wang Xianzhi were called "two kings".
When Wang Xizhi was a child, he once had lunch, and the extremely boy brought him his favorite garlic paste and steamed bread. After urging him to eat quickly several times, he still didn't even look up, as if he didn't hear, and he was absorbed in reading posts and writing. The meal was cold, so Jibang had to ask Wang Xizhi's mother to persuade him to eat. Mother came to the study, only to find Xihe holding a steamed bread stained with ink and sending it to her mouth, making her mouth black. It turned out that when Xi Zhi was eating steamed stuffed buns, he was still looking at the words and thinking about how to write them in his mind. As a result, he mistook the ink for garlic. Mother couldn't help laughing when she saw this scene. Wang Xizhi still doesn't know what's going on Hearing his mother's laughter, he also said, "today's mashed garlic is really fragrant!" " The story of Wang Xizhi's hard study directly influenced his son Wang Xianzhi, telling the story of "My son wrote three jars of water, only a little like Wang Xizhi".
3. Liu Gongquan
Liu Gongquan (778-865) was born in Jingzhao Garden (now Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province), Han nationality. The younger brother of Liu Gongzhuo, the minister of war, was a famous calligrapher and poet in the Tang Dynasty. After the seven dynasties of Shixian, Mu, Jing, Wen, Wu, Xuan and Yi, the official reached the crown prince and served as the official of Hedong County, so the world was called "Liu". Xian Tong died in six years (865), aged 88, and was given to the Prince.
Liu Gongquan was born in Huayuan (now Yaoxian County, Shaanxi Province) in the Tang Dynasty. When he was young, his handwriting was terrible, and he was often scolded by his husband and father for his crooked handwriting. Xiao Gongquan is very strong and determined to practice his handwriting well. After more than a year of hard work day and night, his calligraphy has made great progress. Compared with his friends of the same age in Liu Jiayuan, the word public rights has become the best in the village.
Since then, his big characters have been praised by classmates and teachers, and even the stern father has a smile on his face, which makes Xiao Gongquan feel very proud.
One day, Liu Gongquan and several friends laid a square table under the old mulberry tree near the village and held a "book meeting", agreeing that everyone would write a big word and watch each other's games. Gong Quan soon wrote an article. At this time, an old man selling tofu brain put down his burden and came to the mulberry tree to enjoy the cool. He watched the children practice calligraphy with great interest. Liu Gongquan handed over his own handwriting and said, "Grandpa, do you think my handwriting is good?" The old man took it and read it. It said, "I will write about Feng Fei's family background and dare to boast in front of others." The old man thought the child was too proud, frowned and hesitated for a while before saying, "I think this word is not well written and deserves to be praised in front of others." This word is like a tofu brain in my burden. It is soft and brittle, with no bones and no body. Is it worth bragging about in front of people? Several friends stopped to listen carefully to the old man's comments. Seeing that the old man had written his own handwriting in a mess, Xiao Gongquan said unconvinced, "People say my handwriting is good, but you say it's not good. Write a few words if you can. Let me see! "
The old man smiled brightly and said, "No, no! My old man is a clown and can't write well. However, some people write with their feet much better than you! Do not believe that you go to Huajing! "
Xiao Gongquan was angry at first, thinking that the old man was scolding him. Later, thinking of the old man's kind face and hearty laughter, and not liking to scold him, I decided to go to Huajing. Huajingcheng is more than 40 miles from Liu Jiayuan. The next day, he got up at five o'clock, quietly left a thousand dollars at home, carrying a bag and went to the capital of China alone.
As soon as Liu Gongquan entered Shoumen, the capital of China, he saw a white cloth cover hanging under a big locust tree in North Street, which read "calligraphy and painting soup" in three Chinese characters. The font is vigorous and powerful, and the brushwork is vigorous and natural. There were many people under the tree, and he squeezed into the crowd to see. He was dumbfounded. I saw a black and thin deformed old man, without arms, sitting barefoot on the ground, his left foot pressing the paper lying on the ground, and his right foot pressing a large sum of money, writing couplets with ease. His pen is like a god, and his words are like a galloping horse, which won the cheers of onlookers.
Xiao Gongquan realized that the old man selling tofu was not lying. He was so ashamed that he thought: Compared with Grandpa Calligraphy and Painting Soup, I am really far behind. He knelt down in front of the calligraphy and painting soup and said, "I want to worship you as a teacher." My name is Liu Gongquan. Please accept me. I hope the master can tell me the secret of writing ... "Calligraphy and painting soup quickly put down the pen in his foot, pulled up Hsiao Kung chuan with his foot and said," I am a lonely freak. I was born without hands. I can't survive. I want to lean on my feet? Kun is alive. Although you can write a few crooked words, how can you be a teacher? "
Small public rights repeatedly begged, calligraphy and painting soup spread a piece of paper on the ground, with the right foot pen, wrote:
"Write eight cylinders of water, inkstone dyed black;
If you win hundreds of parents, you will get a phoenix in Yi Long. "
The old man said to Gong Quan, "This is the secret of my writing. I have been writing with my feet since I was a child, and I have been practicing for more than fifty years. My family has a big vat that can hold eight barrels of water. Eight cylinders of water were used when grinding ink and practicing calligraphy. There is a waterlogging pool half an acre outside my wall. I wash the inkstone in the pool every day after writing. The water in the pool is black. However, my calligraphy practice is far from perfect! "
Liu Gongquan firmly engraved the old man's words in his heart. He deeply thanked the calligraphy and painting soup and reluctantly went back.
Since then, Liu Gongquan has worked hard to practice calligraphy, grinding thick cocoons on his hands and mending his elbows layer by layer. He learned the beauty and richness of Yan style, the openness and elegance of European style, the boldness and boldness of calligraphy and painting soup, and the elegance and charm of palace style. He often watches others pick sheep from cattle and study the skeleton structure, from which he gets inspiration. He also observed wild geese in the sky, fish swimming in the water, running elk and runaway wild horses, and integrated all kinds of beautiful forms of nature into calligraphy art.
Liu Gongquan finally became a famous calligrapher in Tang Dynasty. His word structure is rigorous, rigid and flexible, generous and open, which is cherished by the calligraphy world and is known as "Yan Liu Jin Gu". But Liu Gongquan was still very dissatisfied with his calligraphy until he was old. In his later years, he lived in seclusion in the stork valley (now called Liugou) in the south of Huajing City, specializing in calligraphy and diligently practicing calligraphy until his death at the age of 88.