Emperor Wu of Liang ordered people to select 1,000 non-repeating Chinese characters from Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy works, and ordered Zhou Xingsi, the minister of foreign Sanqi, to compile them into a document. The full text is a four-character sentence, with neat contrasts, clear organization, and brilliant literary talent. Below is the origin of "The Thousand Character Essay" that I have collected for you. You are welcome to share it.
According to legend, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, Xiao Yan, ordered Zhou Xingsi to take some of Wang Xi’s 1,000-character poems and compile them into four-character rhymes. "Shangshu Gushi" states: "As soon as the heirs came to the throne, all the hair on the temples became white... Zen Master Sun Zhiyong of the right army personally published 800 copies and scattered them among the people." It is necessary not only to use different words, but also to follow Wang Xizhi's suicide note. The thousand-character extensions from the poem still need to be made into a rhyme. If it is done overnight, it may be difficult to fully believe it. Xu made this statement out of praise for Zhou Xingsi's extraordinary wisdom and outstanding talent.
Zhou Xingsi (? - 521) was a native of Xiangchen County, Liangchen County (now Shenqiu, Henan Province) in the Southern Dynasties. His courtesy name was Si Zhuan.
"The Thousand-Character Classic" is an early elementary school textbook in my country. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the "Thousand-Character Classic" has become very popular, and reciting the "Thousand-Character Classic" is regarded as a shortcut to literacy education. It is not a simple accumulation of words, but a well-organized, fluent and recitable rhyme that sings about things and things. Its content also involves knowledge about nature, society, history, education, ethics and other aspects. Most of the thousand characters selected are commonly used characters, and there are not many uncommon characters, making them easy to read. Because it was so widely circulated, "Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang" was used to replace numbers when compiling documents. Comparative versions of Manchu-Chinese and Mongolian-Chinese characters also appeared in brother ethnic areas. Because many great calligraphers in the past dynasties have written it, "The Thousand Character Classic" is still a model for learning various calligraphy.
"The Thousand-Character Essay" and so on, but none of them can compete with the "Thousand-Character Essay" compiled by Zhou.
Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some scholars have called the "Thousand-Character Classic" a "wonderful article" that uses limited words but can be coherently penetrated, which is not unreasonable.
The full text of "The Thousand Character Essay":
The sky and the earth are black and yellow, the universe is prehistoric, the sun and the moon are waxing, the stars are arranged, the cold is coming, the summer is coming, the autumn is harvesting, and the winter is hiding.
The remaining years of leap years are Lu Lu Tune up the sun, the clouds rise, the rain and dew turn into frost, the gold brings forth the beautiful water, and the jade comes out of Kungang
The giant sword-shaped pearl is called the luminous fruit treasure, the plum, the leek, the heavy mustard, the ginger sea, the salty river, the light scales, the hidden feathers fly
The Dragon Master, the Fire Emperor, the Bird Official, the Human Emperor, began to write texts, wear clothes, push the throne, and let the state-owned Yu Tao Tang
Diao people and attack Zhou Fa, Yin Tang, sit in court and ask questions, vertical gong, Ping Zhang, love and education, the chief minister of Li, Fu Rongqiang
< p> Wang Mingfeng, who returned home with his guests in the distance, was surrounded by vegetation in the Zhubaiju restaurantHow could he dare to damage the chastity of women and the talents of men? /p>
If you know your faults, you must correct them. Don’t forget to talk about them. If you rely on your own shortcomings, your long-term messengers can overturn your desires.
Mo Bei, a silk-dyed poem in praise of Lamb Jingxing, written by Wei Xianke. The saintly virtue is established, the name is upright and the shape is upright
The voice is heard in the empty valley and the empty hall is used to hearing misfortune. With respect and filial piety, we should do our best to be loyal and devoted to our lives. We should walk deeply and be thin and warm.
Like a lance, like a pine, the flow of the river never stops, the deep clearness, the reflection, the stop, the words, the calmness.
The sincerity of the beginning In the end, it is appropriate for Mei Shen to make Rongye, who has very little foundation, learn to be a good person, serve as regent, and engage in politics
Save and benefit from Gantang, chant music, distinguish between noble and humble, etiquette, distinguish between superiors and inferiors, and harmoniously sing with husbands and women.
Trained by a foreigner, he followed his mother’s rituals. All his aunts, uncles, sons, sons, and sons, Kong Huai, and brothers were all in the same spirit.
Friendships, rules, rules, kindness, concealment, and compassion are all indispensable. Integrity, retreat from troubles and losses
Quiet nature, relaxed mood, heartbeat, tiredness, keeping true ambition, pursuing material things, adhering to elegance, being good at being noble and self-sufficient
The city of China, east and west, Beijing, behind Mang and Luofu The Wei Dynasty occupied the Jing palace and watched the flying sky at Panyu Tower
The picture depicts the paintings of animals and colorful fairies. Next to the open tent, a banquet is set up with a banquet, a drum, a harp and a sheng.
Upgraded to accept His Majesty turned around and doubted the star. He passed through Guang Nei on the right and Da Chengming on the left gathered both the tomb ceremony and the heroes.
High crown, accompanying the chariot, driving the hub, revitalizing the world, extravagant wealth, driving the chariot, driving fat, light strategy, great achievements, great achievements, and inscription on the stele:
Fanxi Yiyinzuoshi Aheng's house, Qufu Weidan, who camp is Duke Huan Kuanghe helped the weak and supported the weak
Qi returned to the Han Dynasty and Hui said that she was grateful for Wu Ding's Junyi secret but not too many scholars. In fact, Ning Jin and Chu even dominated Zhao and Wei's difficulties
Destroyed the Guo Jian Tuhui in a false way How did the alliance abide by the law, Korean abuses, torture, and Jianpo's animal husbandry and military use were the best
Zisai chicken fields, Chicheng, Kunchi, Jieshi, huge fields, Dongting, vast distances, Mianmiao rocks, Xiuyaoming
The root cause is farming, farming, uncle Zai, Nan Mu, my art, millet, taxation, ripe tribute, new encouragement, appreciation and appreciation
>Meng Ke dun Su Shi Yu Bing Zhi Shu Ji mediocre Lao Qian I would like to listen to the sound, observe the reason, judge the appearance and distinguish the color
Yijue Jiayou encouraged him to grow, save, ridicule, favor, increase resistance and humiliation Lin Gao is lucky to be in shame
The two are separated by chance, who is forced to live in a quiet place, silent and lonely, looking for the ancients, seeking discussion, relaxing and carefree
The story of the garden is full of joy and sorrow. Strips of loquats, late green parasol trees withered by fleas
Chen Genwei, fallen leaves, swaying, traveling around Kunming alone, Lingmo Jiangxiao, reading and playing in the market, living in the bag box
Yi Chief Youwei belongs to the ear wall wall furniture Meals are delicious, filling the intestines, cooking and slaughtering, hungry and tired of chaff
Relatives, old, old and young, different grains, concubines, royal family members, spinning turbans, curtains, rooms, fans, round clean silver candles, bright lights
Sleeping in the day and evening Sleeping with blue bamboo shoots, elephants on the bed, singing and drinking, drinking and drinking, raising glasses, raising glasses, stamping hands and feet, making you happy and healthy
The direct descendants continue to offer sacrifices, steam, taste and worship again, and they are frightened, frightened, and write brief answers and review
Skeletons want to bathe in heat and wish to cool down. Donkeys, mules and calves are particularly frightened and leap over to kill thieves and capture thieves.
Rebellion
Bushe Liaowan, Ji Qin, Ruan Xiaotian, pen, ethics, paper, skill, interpretation of differences and customs, all of which are wonderful
Mao Shi, Shuzi's work, her beautiful face, her smiling face, every time she wakes up to the sun. Lang Yao Xuanji hangs and the gloomy soul shines all around
Refers to the salary to repair the eternal Sui Ji Shao and leads the pitching gallery temple to the girdle and wanders in the village to look
I am ignorant and ignorant and wait for those who criticize and say to help. Zaihuye
Overview of "The Thousand-Character Essay"
An article, a night's work, a lifetime of wisdom; a thousand words, eternal writing, a thousand-year story.
"The Thousand-Character Essay" is the best enlightenment classic in Chinese history. It outlines a complete outline of Chinese cultural history in just one thousand Chinese characters and represents the highest level of traditional enlightenment education. "The Thousand-Character Essay" has beautiful language and gorgeous vocabulary. Almost every sentence is quoted from the scriptures and every word is used.
The Thousand-Character Classic was born in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It was first circulated in the palace, and later spread among the people. From the Sui Dynasty, it was used as a general textbook for rural schools and has been circulated to this day. There are 1,500 copies of it. years of history.
There are more than 100 kinds of Monographs on Mongolian Studies in history. The earlier ones include "Cangpo Pian", "Fanjiang Pian", and "Jijiu Pian" from the Qin and Han Dynasties, and the later ones include "Xijiu Pian" from the Qing Dynasty. "Di Zi Gui", "Young Xue Qiong Lin", etc., but the most widely circulated, and the one still in use today is probably the "Three Hundred Thousand". There is a novel "Travel Notes of Lao Can" in the late Qing Dynasty, which tells: Once Lao Can wandered into a bookstore and asked the clerk which books were the best-sellers. The boy replied: "Three hundred thousand." Lao Can asked: "What is three hundred thousand?" The clerk explained: "It's the Three-Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, the Thousand-Character Classic, and the Thousand-Character Poems." These four books combine literacy, imparting knowledge, character education and literary literacy training. They are a very good set of elementary textbooks.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, "The Thousand Character Essay" had become an elementary school textbook. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, "Hundred Family Surnames" appeared and soon became an important elementary school textbook. After the appearance of the "Three Character Classic" in the late Southern Song Dynasty, a system of elementary school textbooks based on "Three Hundred Thousand" was formed. Until the end of the Republic of China, "Three Hundred Thousand" had been the basic teaching material in private school education.
Using "Three Hundred Thousand" for enlightenment, is the content too simple and the amount of knowledge insufficient?
On the surface it seems so, but if you expand it and talk about "Three Hundred Thousand", it is not a simple matter. The total of these three books does not exceed 3,000 words, but they embody profound Chinese cultural traditions in their simplicity; they convey important cultural information in their conciseness. If you don’t read it, you won’t know. It’s so profound that even undergraduates majoring in Chinese may not be able to understand it, because it uses concise words to combine the knowledge of various parts of the “Confucian Classics and History Collection” of Chinese studies, and it is a highly condensed history of Chinese culture. The language masters and literary masters in Chinese history, such as Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Xiang Bianji, Shen Congwen, Lin Yutang, etc., all attended private schools, and most of those who attended private schools started their academic careers with the enlightenment of "Three Hundred Thousand".
"The Thousand-Character Essay" has beautiful phonology and is catchy to read. It is not only a four-character poem, but also a pocket encyclopedia of knowledge. Wang Shizhen, a master of ancient prose in the Ming Dynasty, called it a "wonderful article". Chu people in the Qing Dynasty were praised for their ability to "limit themselves to limited words and yet be able to run through them coherently without any mistakes, just like dancing neon clothes on an inch of wood or drawing long threads on tangled threads."
"The Thousand-Character Classic" is a rhyme composed of a thousand non-repeating Chinese characters. It is a calligraphy book that integrates literacy and calligraphy practice. Now let's sit down and write a non-repetitive Chinese character. It's not an easy task. But for those who have memorized "The Thousand Character Essay", it will be a piece of cake. The first two sentences of "The Thousand Character Essay" are: "The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, and the universe is primitive." It suddenly elevates people's realm, looking at the world, the universe, the past, present and future. When a person's mind and vision are broadened, the direction of his life will be different.
This article can be said to be the crystallization of Zhou Xingsi’s lifelong wisdom. The light of Eastern wisdom shines between the lines of "The Thousand Character Essay", and behind it is the temperament and character of the scholar. There are so many things discussed in a thousand words - filial piety, correction, words, making friends, admiration for talents, respect for virtuous people, temperament, etc. They are all moral principles for self-cultivation. Therefore, his articles are so powerful and lasting, and have been circulated for 1,500 years. And not fade.
Enlightenment education is very important. It is said that "enlightenment to cultivate righteousness is a sacred achievement".
Every child is the seed of a sage. The key is to awaken him and let the seeds of goodness germinate, take root, bloom and bear fruit. A child is like a piece of white paper, whatever color it is dyed is what it is. Enlightenment education is like the initialization of a computer. What software system is entered is very important. Although "The Thousand-Character Classic" contains not many words, its content covers astronomy, geography, nature, history, anecdotes of people, rules and regulations, moral ethics and many other aspects. It can be said to be a pocket encyclopedia and a classic of elementary school classics.
The article "Thousand Character Essay" is a rhyme composed of a thousand non-repeating Chinese characters. Some people have discovered that the word "jie" is used twice, which is the same form. In fact, the rhymes used twice are different, and the meanings are also different. In fact, they are not repeated words.
There are more than 80,000 Chinese characters today. The oracle bone inscriptions that record the history and culture of the Shang Dynasty and before the Shang Dynasty have been compiled by archaeologists and philologists for many years and have been found to contain more than 4,000 characters. Among them, more than 2,500 can be recognized, most of which are special characters for divination, and there are only more than a thousand characters used in daily life. The Shang Dynasty had a history of more than 600 years and only had more than a thousand commonly used characters. Of course, there were few characters at that time, but from another perspective, being able to control a thousand Chinese characters was already quite remarkable. Even if we were asked to sit down and write a non-repetitive Chinese character now, it would not be easy.
The Chinese have separated language and classical Chinese since ancient times. The so-called "classical Chinese" is the language specifically used for writing articles. Because language is limited by time and space, the language used for communication is also different in different regions and times. The general rule is that it changes every 30 to 50 years. However, articles recorded in classical Chinese can travel through time and space and be passed down forever.
The origin of the compilation of "The Thousand Character Essay" was that Emperor Wu of Liang wanted to teach his nephews and nephews to learn calligraphy, but was reluctant to take out Wang Xizhi's original calligraphy, so he asked Yin Tieshi to copy a thousand Wang Xizhi's characters. For children to copy. Therefore, "Thousand Character Classic" is inherently closely related to calligraphy copying.
Ancient and modern calligraphers, from Zhiyong, Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Huaisu, Mi Fu, Zhao Ji, Zhao Meng, Wen Zhengming, to Yu Youren, Zhao Puchu, Qigong, etc., all have "Thousand Characters" The "Thousand-Character Classic" is a classic copybook for learning calligraphy. During the Northern Song Dynasty alone, there were 49 kinds of "Thousand-Character Classic" collected by the royal family.
Wang Xizhi was a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and was revered as a sage of calligraphy. Later generations regarded copying Wang's calligraphy as an important stage in calligraphy learning. The famous calligraphy that best represents Wang Shu are the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" and Zhiyong's "Thousand-Character Essay". Zen Master Zhiyong was the seventh-generation grandson of Wang Xizhi. He devoted himself to the study of calligraphy passed down from his family. Because the Zhou version of the Thousand-Character Classic was taken from Wang Xizhi's handwriting, Zhiyong had been diligently writing the Thousand-Character Classic for decades, and he wrote 800 Many copies were distributed to temples in eastern Zhejiang. Because he was deeply familiar with the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, by the time of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhiyong's "Thousand Character Essay" was highly regarded and became a model for learning Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.
"The Thousand-Character Essay" is known as "the best character book in the world". It integrates literacy and calligraphy into one book. It imparts encyclopedic knowledge and conducts moral education, which is difficult to achieve in any poem. Arrived.
Before the invention of printing, the dissemination of articles mainly relied on oral recitation and copying. A good article must have harmonious phonology and be catchy when read, so that it can be passed down orally. Secondly, it relies on copying. Manual copying is hard work. Articles worth copying must not only have good content, but also have to be eye-catching and artistically beautiful. The eternal popularity of "The Thousand-Character Classic" just meets these two conditions.
"The Thousand-Character Essay" has four characters per sentence and two sentences per rhyme. There are two hundred and fifty sentences in the whole text, using eight rhymes. A lot of use is made of the flat rhyme with a wide opening, which reads loud and long, and the excitement and shortness of the oblique rhyme (including the entering tone) is used intermittently, resulting in the beauty of melodious and sonorous rhythms, forming a symphonic effect of circling back and forth.
The first person in history to write a thousand-character essay was Zhiyong. Zen Master Zhiyong is a descendant of Wang Xizhi, a famous cultural monk during the Chen and Sui Dynasties, and a famous calligrapher at that time. He was very diligent in practicing calligraphy. It is said that when he was writing "The Thousand Character Essay", he specially prepared a large basket. When the brush tip became bald, he threw it into the basket. Over time, more than a dozen baskets accumulated. So a deep pit was dug in the open space of the temple and the pen tips were buried. It was as high as a tomb, and later generations called it "the pen tomb". The allusion of "returning a pen and turning it into a tomb" comes from this.
After Zhiyong became famous for writing "The Thousand Character Essay", people came one after another asking him to write letters and inscribe plaques. As a result, the threshold of Yongxin Temple was broken through, so they had to wrap it with iron sheets. There is an allusion to the "iron threshold".
Story
It is said that Emperor Wu of Liang loved calligraphy very much and his handwriting was pretty good, so he wanted to cultivate calligraphers in his own family. In order to let all his descendants learn calligraphy well, Emperor Wu of Liang asked Yin Tieshi to find a thousand unique characters in Wang Xizhi's ink, each character on a piece of paper, and put them together in no order. Emperor Wu summoned Zhou Xingsi and said: "My dear, you are very talented. Please put them together in order and rhyme them for me. You work very hard at ordinary times, so don't work the night shift at night. But tomorrow morning , you have to bring me the compiled article."
Zhou Xingsi was dumbfounded when he heard this, and his face turned pale. There were no computers at that time. How difficult it would be to compose an article from a thousand different words. What's even more difficult is that you have to rhyme it and hand it over the next day. Doesn't this cost people's lives? But Zhou Xingsi had to listen to the emperor's order. Zhou Xingsi worked hard and spent one night to compile it. Emperor Wu was very happy the next day and rewarded him heavily. In just one night, Zhou Xingsi's hair had turned white. Perhaps on this night, he exhausted all his life's energy.
"The Thousand-Character Essay" aroused great interest from later generations. Because it is easy to understand and very rhyming, many people regard memorizing "The Thousand Character Classic" as a popular way. Just like today's people chase celebrities, if they can't memorize it, they will be regarded as falling behind by others. Especially the little ones who have just combed their hair, all of them will shake their heads and recite a few sentences: "The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, the universe is primitive, the sun and the moon are waxing, the stars are arranged, the cold comes and the summer comes, the autumn harvests and the winter hides..."
In this way, after the birth of "The Thousand-Character Classic", it gradually became my country's early elementary school textbook. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the "Thousand-Character Classic" has become very popular, and reciting the "Thousand-Character Classic" is regarded as a shortcut to literacy education. It is not a simple accumulation of words, but a well-organized, fluent and recitable rhyme that sings about things and things. Its content also involves knowledge about nature, society, history, education, ethics and other aspects.
Because the characters of "Thousand Character Classic" are different and widely circulated, it is favored by calligraphers of all generations. Among them, Zen Master Zhiyong during the Chen and Sui Dynasties can be said to be the most loyal "fan" of "The Thousand Character Classic". Why do you say this? Zhiyong, whose secular surname is Wang, is the seventh-generation grandson of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi. In his early years, he became a monk to avoid disasters. Maybe it's because of genetics. Zhiyong also likes calligraphy, especially the calligraphy of his ancestor Wang Xizhi. He has the intention to inherit the fine calligraphy tradition of the older generation. He studies Wang Xizhi's calligraphy carefully. Zen Master Zhiyong practices calligraphy with abandon. The bald pen-head *** accumulated ten jars, each jar weighing several hundred kilograms. Zen Master Zhiyong buried the ten jars of pens, named them "Tuibi Tomb", and wrote and inscribed inscriptions for them. This is where the allusion later generations said about "returning a pen and turning it into a tomb" comes from here. Not counting this, later all the jars may have been full, and the used pen had to be thrown into a large bamboo basket (a container similar to a bamboo basket). This kind of bamboo bamboo can each hold one stone of rice, and a bag can be filled with five bamboo pens.
Zen Master Zhiyong practices calligraphy in Yongxin Temple in Wuxing. Countless people come to him to ask for calligraphy or to write plaques, all day long. The threshold of the fasting room where he lived had been stepped on by visitors. When Zhiyong saw it, there was nothing he could do. The wooden threshold could no longer withstand the enthusiasm of the "fans", so he could only have people wrap it with iron sheets. People called him " Iron Threshold". The poet Fan Cheng's poem says: "Even if there is an iron gate for a thousand years, there will eventually be a soiled bun", which comes from this allusion. Later, Cao Xueqin learned and used it vividly and hid the meaning in "Tiekan Temple" and "Mantou Temple", which became two classic place names in "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Zhiyong practiced calligraphy hard for decades and wrote more than 800 copies of "Zhencao Qianziwen", which he distributed to monasteries in eastern Zhejiang. It spread widely and became a master of monasteries and among the people. The model of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has become a rare model for future generations to learn from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and has made an indelible contribution to the advancement of the calligraphy art of our ancestors. "Xuanhe Shupu" records that the Imperial Household of the Northern Song Dynasty collected 23 authentic works of Zhiyong, among which "Thousand Character Classic" accounted for as many as 15 pieces. He Shaoji of the Qing Dynasty commented on Zhiyong's "Thousand Character Essay" and said: "The pen comes from the sky and lives from the sky. Although the house has leaks, it is not enough to describe it."
When we read his ink "Thousand Character Essay" carefully, we can see that he used the pen to hide the head and protect the tail, with twists and turns, implicit and rhythmic interest. What He Shaoji said is accurate and appropriate.
In the Dunhuang stone chambers, ink traces of the "Thousand-Character Classic" were also discovered. Among them, the "Thousand-Character Classic" by Jiang Shanjin Lin Zhiyong in the Tang Dynasty was unearthed, which further illustrates the influence of Zhiyong's "Thousand-Character Classic" at that time. is quite common.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was also a calligrapher named Li Yangbing who also wrote the "Thousand-Character Essay" handed down to the world. Li Yangbing is Li Bai's uncle. He is famous for his seal script. He is exquisite in small seal script, round, pure, thin and strong. He is a major revolution in Qin seal script. He is known as the first person of small seal script after Li Si and has great influence on later generations.
There are also some famous "fans" who also show persistent enthusiasm for "The Thousand Character Essay". For example, Zhao Mengfu, a famous calligrapher and painter in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, claimed that he had written hundreds of "Thousand-Character Essays" in the past 20 years. Lin Zhiyong's "Thousand-Character Essay" "exhausted five hundred pages", and wrote "Six-body Thousand-Character Essays" for the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. 》.
The spread of "The Thousand Character Classic" over 1,500 years since its publication shows that it is a widely circulated children's education book and an integral part of traditional Chinese culture. Among ancient Chinese children's education books, it is a link between the past and the following. works. Its beautiful writing style and gorgeous rhetoric make it unmatched by many children's books.