Jiang Yan of the Southern Dynasties, whose courtesy name was Wentong, became a famous writer when he was young. His poems and articles were highly praised at that time. However, as he got older, his articles were not only not as good as before, but also deteriorated a lot. His poems were bland and unremarkable, and he held the pen for a long time and still couldn't write a single word. Occasionally, inspiration came and he wrote poems, but the sentences were dry and the content was so bland that there was nothing to be gained from it. So there is a legend that once Jiang Yan took a boat and stopped by the river of Chanling Temple. He dreamed that a man who called himself Zhang Jingyang asked him for a piece of silk and satin, so he took out a few feet of silk and satin from his arms and returned it to him. Therefore, his articles will no longer be exciting. It is also said that one time Jiang Yan was taking a nap in Yeting and dreamed that a man who called himself Guo Pu came to him, asked him for a pen, and said to him: "Brother Wentong, I have a pen at your place." It's been a long time, you should return it to me!" After hearing this, Jiang Yan took out a five-color pen from his arms and returned it to him. It is said that from then on, Jiang Yan became exhausted and could no longer write any good articles.
In fact, it is not that Jiang Yan’s talents have been used up, but that after he became an official, on the one hand, he was busy with government affairs, and on the other hand, because of his successful career, he no longer needed to write pens by himself. . Over time, the article will naturally become inferior and lack talent. Therefore, it is said that the talent is exhausted, but the authenticity of this story needs to be tested. Withdrawing the pen and turning it into a tomb is the story of Zhiyong, see Zhang Huaijin's "Book Break". Zhiyong lived in Yongxin Temple, Wuxing, and studied calligraphy for many years. Later, he had ten jars of broken writing brush tips, each jar weighing several stones. There were so many people who came to ask for ink marks and write plaques that they were like a busy city. As a result, holes were stepped on the thresholds of the places where they lived, so they were wrapped with iron sheets, which people called "iron thresholds." Later, he buried the tip of his pen and called it the "Tomb of Retired Pen".