Wang Xizhi began to practice calligraphy at the age of seven, and he was diligent and eager to learn. It is said that at the age of seventeen, he stole his father's previous calligraphy works and read them. When he got familiar with them, he practiced writing.
Every day, he sat by the pool practicing calligraphy, seeing off the dusk and welcoming the dawn. He finished writing more or less ink and ruined more or less pen. After practicing calligraphy every day, he washed his pen in the pool water, and for a long time, he washed all the water into ink. This is the legendary Mo Chi that people saw in Shaoxing today.
Extended information:
Other stories of Wang Xizhi:
1. Book for Goose
Wang Xizhi, a book sage, likes geese very much. He thinks that raising geese can not only cultivate sentiment, but also learn some calligraphy theory 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.
When asked, I found out that these geese were raised by a nearby Taoist priest, and I found that Taoist priest wanted to discuss with him to buy the geese. When the Taoist priest heard that the famous Wang Xizhi wanted to buy them, he said, as long as Wang Youjun can copy a copy of Huang Ting Jing for me, he will give him some geese. Wang Xizhi readily agreed, which made the book a story of exchanging white geese.
2. Make up Spring Festival couplets skillfully
Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher, writes Spring Festival couplets and sticks them on the door every New Year's Eve. Because his handwriting is called "the best running script in the world", many people want to get it and it is rare. So every year on New Year's Eve, his Spring Festival couplets are posted, and before midnight, they are secretly uncovered. This year, New Year's Eve came again, and Wang Xizhi still wrote the Spring Festival couplets with the words "Happiness never comes in pairs, but it never rains alone", leaving the second half.
People who want to steal couplets are disappointed when they see that these eight words are unlucky. When he arrived in Yinshi, Wang Xizhi made up the second half, and became "the blessing is not double until today, but it never rains but it pours last night." Early the next morning, people who want to steal Spring Festival couplets are amazed and clap their hands.