. In the Song Dynasty, Jiang Kui loved Preface to Lanting, studied it every day and often put what he had learned on it. A postscript said: "I have studied Lanting for more than 20 years, and I have learned a lot under the light tonight." It took more than 20 years to get an introduction, which shows the difficulty of interpretation: 1600 years, countless calligraphers have been tirelessly interpreting and reading, unwilling to go deep into Xi's palace, but in the end they can only get one. Therefore, Preface to Lanting can be said to be a maze created by outstanding calligraphy wisdom.
It is said that on March 3rd, the 9th year of Yonghe (353), Wang Xizhi and 4 1 person, including Wenyou, Xie An and Sun Chuo. It is a custom to hold a ceremony in Lanting to meet the water and eliminate disasters. Drinking and writing poems, Wang Xizhi's "Writing a Pen with Cocoon Paper" is a drunken preface, with 28 lines and 324 words. After waking up, I wrote hundreds of stories, which were not as good as the original, but were called "the most proud book". Wang Xizhi regards Preface to Lanting as a family heirloom, which has been handed down from generation to generation and has been handed down to Sun Zhiyong, the seventh generation of the Wang family. However, Zhiyong became a monk for some reason, and naturally there were no children behind him, so he passed the original ancestral book to disciple Cai Bian. In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin collected a large number of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy treasures and studied them frequently. He praised the original "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" and offered many rewards, all of which failed. Later, it was found that the original preface to Lanting Collection was in the hands of a monk named Cai Bian in Huiji, which led to the story that Emperor Taizong defrauded the original preface to Lanting Collection and was buried in Zhaoling with Emperor Taizong.
This story adds a legendary and mysterious atmosphere to the Preface to Lanting. There are two versions of Lanting story recorded by Tang people. Liu Quan's Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties: "Wang Youjun's Preface to Lanting is out of place. Chen Tian's family earned it for monks. ..... After the death of Guo Shi, the disciple monk got it through argumentation. After Emperor Taizong became the king of Qin, he was surprised to see the rubbings, a precious book for the city king. Lanting is meaningless in the end. Knowing by eloquence, Xiao Yi got it from Yuezhou and entered Qin for four years with Wude. Ten years of Zhenguan, ten books were extended to recent ministers. When the emperor collapsed, Zhongshu ordered Chu Suiliang to play:' Lanting is highly valued by the first emperor, so you can't stay.' So the secret is in Zhaoling. "
There are great differences between Taiping Guangji and He Lanting Ji. He Wen said that during the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong decided to learn the books of the two kings and copy the original works, but Lanting did not get it. After the interview, I learned that I was in the eloquence department and was summoned three times. Eloquence lies that I don't know where the mess is. Fang Lingxuan suggested that suggestion Xiao Yizhi take him. Xiao Yi hides his identity, pretends to be a poor scholar, plays chess, intones and discusses books, and portrays them as forgetful friends. Only later, he boasted about his hidden things and showed his original work "Lanting" hanging on the roof beam, so he took this position to save Xiao Yi's life in Chang 'an. On his deathbed, Emperor Taizong ordered several copies to be given to the princes of the Prince. He said to Li Zhi, "I want something from you. If you are sincere and filial, how can you violate my heart? " what do you think? "So, the original Lanting was buried in Zhaoling. He Congyun said that the above story was told by the disciples of Wen Debate in the old room of Yongxing Temple Zhiyong Zen Master. Liu Heheer said that the plot is different. It is generally believed that the floating is inaccurate, and Liu's informative and credible, fraudulent and whispering are all gone. Although the plots of the two are different, the original work of Preface to Lanting was buried in Zhaoling, but the story is the same.
This matter has repercussions. According to the Biography of the New Five Dynasties, Tao Wen, our ambassador in Yaozhou, Hou Liang, once stole Zhaoling: "Tao Cong walked on the road and saw the palace system, which was as majestic as the world. There is a stone bed in the middle east and west compartments. In the stone letter on the bed, there are iron boxes, books from past lives, Zhong Wang's handwriting, and new paper and ink, which Taoxi took to the world. " According to records, the original preface to Lanting Collection was rediscovered by Wen Tao, a grave robber. In addition, Cai Ting said in Episode of the Song Dynasty that when the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion was buried together, it was made by Li Shimin sisters and replaced with a fake, and the original remained in the world. But since then, the news of Lantingyuan is like a yellow crane, and its whereabouts are more mysterious.
After Emperor Taizong got the Lanting Pavilion, he ordered Feng Chengsu, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, the owners of the Hong Wen Pavilion, to copy several copies and give them to relatives and trusted ministers. When Emperor Taizong died, he was buried with the original. The Preface to Lanting handed down from generation to generation is no longer the original work of Wang Xizhi. There are many kinds of books handed down from ancient times, either woodcut, copy or copy. Famous people, such as Dingwu Lanting, were told that Ou Yangxun copied this stone and got its name because it was found in Dingwu in the Northern Song Dynasty (now Zhengding in Hebei Province).
Emperor Taizong ordered Feng Chengsu to copy it, calling it "Dragon Book Lanting". Because its manuscript has the "Dragon" seal script in the Tang Dynasty, it was named "Preface to the Dragon Book Lanting" to distinguish it from other Tang manuscripts. This book has the most vivid ink color, vivid paper, fine imitation, fine thread binding and exquisite appearance. It has hundreds of words, no words, no strings, and elegant pitching, which many people don't know. Its brushwork, pen and ink, style and charm are all reflected, and we can basically get a glimpse of the original features of Xihe River. It is recognized as the best copy and regarded as a treasure. Feng Chengsu's manuscript Preface to Lanting is now in the Palace Museum. It is 24.5 cm high and 69.9 cm wide. It once entered the palace in Song Gaozong and was acquired by Guo Tianxi in the early Yuan Dynasty. Later, it was returned to the palace by great collectors.
(2) About the authenticity of Preface to Lanting.
The handwritten copy of Preface to Lanting is the treasure of China's regular script calligraphy. For thousands of years, people did not ask questions. Until the late Qing Dynasty, Guangdong calligraphers were full of doubts and asserted that "it is difficult to believe the text, why are there words in it?" The calligraphy of Jin people should not be divorced from the official script of Han and Wei dynasties, so the Preface to Lanting can't be Wang Xizhi's book. In Qing Dynasty, Li Wentian doubted this, but did not pay attention to it. 1965, Comrade Guo Moruo published the article "Seeing the Authenticity of the Preface to Lanting from the Epitaph Unearthed in Xie Wang" in the sixth issue of Cultural Relics, pointing out that the Preface to Lanting has problems not only in calligraphy, but also in articles. Guo Moruo wrote an article denouncing Lanting as false, which was very lively for a while. 1On July 8, 965, Mao Zedong wrote to Guo Moruo, giving instructions on the different views caused by Preface to Lanting: "A pen and ink lawsuit is better than nothing." Since then, famous artists such as,, Zhang, etc. have held a public debate on the authenticity of the Preface to Lanting, and both sides have their own words. This is the famous Lanting Theory. Mr. Rumor is quite emotional, and there is a saying, "How dare a mouse jump the beam? Lanting is still surnamed Wang" to hit back at Guo Moruo. However, to this day, the mystery caused by the Preface to Lanting is still controversial and inconclusive. First, the authenticity of the article "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" was written by Wang Xizhi, Xie An, Sun Chuo and other 4/kloc-0 people in the Lanting Pavilion in Yin Shan (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) on March 3rd, 9th, Yonghe, Eastern Jin Dynasty. At the meeting, they each wrote poems, and Wang Xizhi prefaced them. First of all, look at the preface to Lanting Collection: Yonghe is nine years old and will repair things in Lanting, Huiji Mountain in early spring. 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 stream, which reflects left and right, thinking it is a stream, followed by a row. Although it is not as prosperous as the string of silk and bamboo, it is enough to love. It's sunny, sunny and breezy. Looking up at the size of the universe and overlooking the variety, it's enough to enjoy watching and listening. I believe in coke. A lady's phase, throw her life, or arm in arm, talk about one room; Let the waves go because of the entrustment. Although the choice is different, calm is different. When it is happy with what it has encountered, it will gain something from itself temporarily, and it will be self-sufficient without knowing the coming of old age. What he is tired of is that his feelings are advancing with the times and his feelings are sentimental. I'm happy about it. It's a thing of the past between pitches, so I still have to be happy about it. The situation is short-lived, and it will end in the end. The ancients said, "Life and death are great." It hurts! Every time I look at the reasons why the ancients were excited, if I unite, I will lament the article, which can't be compared to the things in my chest. Knowing that a dead life is a false birthday and the destruction of Peng Qi is a mistake. Look at the present in the future or look at the past today. Sad husband! Therefore, as soon as people go public, they record what they say. Although the world is different, they are happy and they are one. Later visitors will also be impressed by Sven. The authenticity of the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion is based on the following facts: 1. Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion can be regarded as a masterpiece of ancient China literature, but why didn't this article appear in the Selected Works of Prince Xiao Tong of Liang Zhaoming in Jin Dynasty, which has the most complete literature? This article is not selected by Xu Wei and Kun, the scholars of the Six Dynasties, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties Review Reader. During the more than 200 years from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the early Tang Dynasty, the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion was not recorded, which was not commensurate with the status of this article. Zeng Guofan's Classic and Historical Miscellaneous Notes does not accept this article. In the writer's view, it seems that it has not been recognized. It was only in modern times that this article was affirmed by Bao's Collection of Ancient Literary Words and Zhong's View on Ancient Literature.
2. For the name of Preface to He Lin, see the annotation of Liu Jun, an official of Nanliang in Shi Shuo Xin Yu. Guo Moruo thinks preface to He Lin is credible, but preface to Lanting is not.
There are some differences between Preface to Lanting and Preface to He Lin.
There are two main differences:
1. The word "Mrs. Xiang" has been added to the article, which is 167 words in Wang Xizhi's mind.
2. At the end of the article, there are no 40 words under "Right General Taiyuan Sun Chenggong and other 26 people". In addition, there are two changes in the text, the word order is slightly different. Preface to Lanting Collection recorded by Tang people. Is the Preface to Lanting in Shi Shuo a modification and supplement to the Preface to He Lin, or is it an expansion and modification of the Preface to Lanting by later generations? The above mystery is confusing and lasts for thousands of years, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false.
Second, the mystery of the author of the preface to the Lanting must be affirmed. First of all, it must be affirmed that the preface to the Lanting is an article by Wang Xizhi. According to the traditional view, The Preface to the Lanting Pavilion in the Book of Jin is Wang Xizhi's masterpiece, and it has the saying of "preface to words". Different views hold that the Preface to Lanting is based on the Preface to He Lin, and it has been modified and expanded. Li Wentian, a native of Shunde in Qing Dynasty, took the lead in putting forward this view in Wang Zhong's Postscript of Dingwu Lanting. His book was later collected by Duan Fang, and Li's postscript was made at Duan Fang's request.
The reasons are as follows: 1. Shi Shuo quotes Wang Xizhi's article on the topic of Preface to the River, but there is no long passage in Preface to Lanting handed down from generation to generation "Lanting after Tang Dynasty, not Lanting before Liang Dynasty".
2. Preface to Lanting Collection is an imitation of Preface to Jingu Collection, and the Preface is also intended to be Shi Chong's Preface to Jingu Collection. The content and length of Preface to Golden Valley are "corresponding", while the structure of Preface to Lanting and Preface to Golden Valley is "inconsistent", so the words added must have been added when people in Sui and Tang Dynasties knew that Jin people liked to talk about Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi.
There are 40 words at the end of Preface to He Lin, which is not found in Preface to Lanting Collection. "The annotator has the reason to abridge the Collection of the Right Army, but there is no reason to add the Collection of the Right Army." Accordingly, Li Wentian categorically denied that Preface to Lanting was written by Wang Xizhi. Guo Moruo said that "the argument is incisive" and thought that the second half of the Preface to Lanting handed down from generation to generation had nothing in common with Wang Xizhi's thoughts, and the calligraphy style was different from the epitaph of the Eastern Jin Dynasty unearthed in recent years.
Guo Moruo's supplementary demonstration of "the phase of a lady":
1. The Preface to Lanting is too sad, which does not conform to the situation of Lanting Preface. Wang Xizhi and other 42 people are "in the cause" and "overlooking the green water bank", but the preface to Lanting is too sad.
2. Preface to Lanting is sympathetic and does not conform to Wang Xizhi's personality. Lan Tingxiu, Wang Xizhi, aged 47, is proud of caring for the country and the people. This biography also records that he is famous for his physiognomy. Wang Xizhi will never be "sad" for the sake of "trimming short and adapting to the needs of the times", just as the Preface to Lanting handed down from generation to generation said. When was the Preface to Lanting Collection based on? There will be no Liang Dynasty. Guo believes that the article must have been established before the Tang Dynasty, and there were more than 60 years between Liang and Tang. Guo Moruo's further textual research on Preface to Lanting is based on Wang Xizhi's grandson of seven generations and Yongxing Temple monk Yong of Chen Dynasty. Guo believes: "Zhiyong is good at making a fuss. Not only does the "short and pithy, but ultimately nothing" in Preface to Lanting Collection conform to the tone of "Zen Master", but it also conforms to its times. "As for Zhi Yongjia's" placenta ",it is the phrase" eternal feeling of life, eternal fear of decline "in the preface to the Golden Valley.
Guo Moruo's views were strongly refuted by Zhang and others. Gao Ershi thinks:
1. About the title. When Wang Xizhi wrote this article, there was no title, but the title was added at the same time by people who recorded this article in previous dynasties. Therefore, there are other names such as Preface to Lanting Poetry, Preface to Xiuze and Preface to Qushui. The preface to He Lin is actually an abridgement of the preface to Lanting Collection by the annotator.
2. About the appendix. The annotation of Shi Shuo is "There is movement, increase and decrease". There are 40 words at the end of the article, "It is a description of this poem" and "It was written by a person who drank it. Since Liu abridged the article of the right army, he might as well add it. This is also a problem worthy of family attention. " 3. About ideas. According to this biography, Wang Xizhi made a preface to declare his ambition. There are many contradictions in Wang Xizhi's thoughts. These contradictions are reflected in the preface to Lanting Collection and the emotional changes in his poems, and a large section of the relationship between people can really be said to be an article by the right army. The photo quoted Xie Anshi, a participant in Preface to Lanting Collection, as saying that "all tastes are mixed, and Peng feels sad" to prove that "Sadness is wrong", thus proving that Preface to Lanting Collection reflects the participants' mentality. Third, the authenticity of the preface to Lanting
The biography of Wang Xizhi, a book of Jin written by Emperor Taizong himself, only contains the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, without mentioning Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion. Secondly, Liang Wudi collected more than 270 volumes of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and painting, but there was no Preface to Lanting. Whether the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion was written by Wang Xizhi was first questioned by Jiang Kui in the Southern Song Dynasty: "Wu Liang collected more than 270 volumes from the right army. At that time, he only talked about Huang Ting, Le Yi and the oath. What is not as good as Lanting? In the Qing Dynasty, Li Wentian denied that the Preface to Lanting Collection was written by Wang Xizhi: "The books before the Eastern Jin Dynasty were similar to the official scripts of the Han and Wei Dynasties. Times make it, and it is not allowed to be the future of Chen Liang. "I think that the calligraphy of Jin people should not lose the face of Han and Wei official scripts, so there was no Preface to Lanting in the past. The conclusion is: "The text is still hard to believe, why can it be said?" (Ding Wu (Postscript of Lanting) 1965, Guo Moruo thinks that the font on the tombstone is the same as that of Long Lanting and Ding Wu according to the remnants of the Three Kingdoms unearthed in Nanjing and written in the epitaph 1972 and unearthed in Xinjiang.
Its main argument is: 1. On writing style. "All the books in Jin Dynasty are official books", and the writing of Preface to Lanting is the same as that of regular script after Tang Dynasty.
2. Handwriting theory. Wang Xizhi's book, the handwriting of "brushwork" and "Lanting" is quite charming, which is quite different from Xie Wang's tombstone. 3. the theory of pen meaning. The cursive script of Jin people must have the meaning of official script. Lanting's calligraphy is called the highest peak of official script, and it has lost its meaning. "Wang Xizhi is a person in the era of official script. How can he lose the meaning of official script?" Guo Moruo, a well-known calligrapher in the Chen Dynasty, said: "The structure of brushwork and the calligraphy of Preface to Lanting are completely a system." "It can be said bluntly that today's dragon book ink is the real book of Lanting Preface. This ink should be written by Zhiyong. " Zhiyong was a monk in Yongxing Temple of Chen Dynasty. It is said that he has studied books for 30 years and is good at cursive writing. His real cursive script "thousand-character script" has written more than 800 volumes, and the stone carvings are still preserved in the forest of steles in Xi 'an. Emperor Yang Di once praised his calligraphy as "the flesh of the right army". There were so many people who asked him for books that even the threshold was trampled through, so they had to use iron sheets to protect them. A great calligrapher like him can write orchids or make a fuss about them. Not only does the phrase "changing with the times" fit the tone of "Zen master". Therefore, it is certain that the articles and pen and ink in Preface to Lanting are wise and brave. Finally, Guo said that the Preface to Lanting relied heavily on wisdom and courage, not denying the value of calligraphy. He thinks Preface to Lanting Collection is a good book and a model of calligraphy. Guo Moruo is a famous historian, archaeologist and calligrapher. At that time, he was in a prominent position. When this theory comes out, a stone stirs up a thousand waves. I agree with Guo that there are people like Zong Baihua and others, and the opponents are Zhang and others. Zhang exclaimed, "Husband, I really don't know the history of China. After this great destruction, what will Shi Gang write! " Gao Ershi thinks this theory is "soul-stirring" and "it is no different from a big turn in" Houxue ". Others think that the Guo family broke the Eastern Jin Dynasty with two stone tablets, and there is only one type of official script font, which is "an isolated certificate cannot be established and it is difficult to generalize". Official script is used for monuments, and running script is used for writing. Wang Xizhi's book Lanting should not use official script. Wang Xizhi was named after "the sage of books". "It must be a variant of the word harmony at that time. Others can't change it, or they can't change it. The right army is changing saints. ""Cao Zhang, Jin Cao, running script and regular script in the Eastern Jin Dynasty were well prepared. Comparatively speaking, the latter two are young plays. When Wang Xizhi arrived, he pushed them forward and changed them, thus playing a role in the history of calligraphy. "At that time, in the process of the evolution of fonts, some of the handwriting of Lanting calligraphy was still not separated from the official script, which shows that Lanting calligraphy is an original copy of Wang Xizhi. Shang Chengzuo holds that since the Eastern Han Dynasty, official script has developed towards cursive script, on the other hand, it has become standardized, and it has matured in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Shang also said that Guo Moruo's so-called "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" was written by Zhi Yong, but he did not mention the same characteristics of Shenlong calligraphy and Zhi Yong, which was taken for granted for lack of factual basis. There are several printed and handwritten versions of thousands of words written by Zhiyong, and the style is still the same. If we compare the dragon edition with the preface to the Lanting Pavilion, the personality of the same author will be disappointing, that is, the dragon edition and the thousand-character script are different in style, the former has more bones and less meat, while the latter has more bones and less meat. In particular, their writing style and style cannot be said to be consistent, so they were not written by one person.
Guangming Daily (199865438+February 4th) published Wang's article "The Mistakes in Lanting Argument Seen from Inscriptions Despised by Scholars in Six Dynasties", which questioned this old question from a new angle. He believes that the literati in the Six Dynasties, especially in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, regarded letters as the art of expressing romantic feelings, but ignored the technical calligraphy of inscriptions. Due to the lack of understanding of this point, the inscription calligraphy written by civilians is compared with the calligraphy of literati, which makes the statement that Lanting preface is false lose its basis. From the obvious difference between the epitaph unearthed at that time and brick carving calligraphy, Guo Moruo asserted that Preface to Lanting was not a product of society at that time. This view has certain limitations.
The mystery of Preface to Lanting involves the evaluation of Wang Xizhi's thought and the content of Preface to Lanting, involving the history of literature and calligraphy. In many aspects of archaeology, its significance has gone far beyond the Preface to Lanting itself. With the passage of time, more and more people affirmed Wang's Preface to Lanting. In today's book world, some people who don't take the Preface to Lanting as the righteousness say that the Preface to Lanting has been "deified". This superficial talk does not damage Wang Xizhi's status as a "book saint".