Wang Xizhi is known as the "Sage of Calligraphy". His calligraphy, including cursive, official, Bafen, Feibai, Zhang and running script, is meticulous and perfect. Although Wang Xizhi's calligraphy art creation seems to have come from the magical power of nature, his hard work is even more top-notch. The Tang Dynasty's "Shu Duan Lie Biography" contains the story of his writing "three points into the wood", which reflects the depth and strength of his calligraphy skills. How did Wang Xizhi develop such skills?
Wang Xizhi is passionate about calligraphy. He has been fond of calligraphy since he was a child. Learning and practicing calligraphy always makes him forget to eat and sleep. The Langya Wang family is a noble family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and also a calligraphy family. His father, Wang Kuang, had many calligraphy-related books in his collection. Wang Xizhicai was good at calligraphy when he was seven years old. When he was twelve years old, he found a book called "The Theory of Writing" in his father's pillow, which was a theory of calligraphy written by his predecessors, so he read it secretly.
When his father found out, he asked him, "Why did you come to steal my secret?" Xizhi laughed but didn't answer.
My father thought he was still young, so he didn't let him see it.
My mother said: "I'm afraid I can't hide the secret after reading "The Art of Using the Brushstrokes". Don't look at Xi Zhi as a child."
My father said to Xizhi: "Wait until you become an adult. , I will pass it on to you."
Xizhi asked his father to give him the book immediately, saying that he might miss the good opportunity to study when he becomes an adult.
My father was very happy and gave him the book. In less than a month, his calligraphy has made great progress.
Not long after, Mrs. Wei, a famous calligrapher at that time and Wang Xizhi’s teacher, saw his handwriting and told Taichang Wang Ce: "He must have read "The Art of Writing". , I have seen his calligraphy recently, and he already has mature wisdom."
Then Mrs. Wei couldn't help but shed tears and said: "This child will definitely be better than me in calligraphy in the future, and his reputation will be great. It will cover up my light!"
Wang Xizhi worked hard to study the calligraphy theories of his predecessors and also practiced calligraphy. One time he visited his disciple's home, and the student went out. While waiting, he felt that the table table was smooth and clean, so he started writing on it, combining real calligraphy with cursive script. When the student returned home, his father had scratched off the words by mistake, which made him extremely regretful and depressed for many days.
Wang Xizhi admired Zhang Zhi, a great calligrapher of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Zhong Yao of the Cao Wei Dynasty, and used them as a reference for self-motivation. Wang Xizhi once wrote to a friend and mentioned that his ancestor Zhang Zhi went to the pond to study calligraphy and dyed the water black. He "may not follow suit", expressing his devotion to learning calligraphy and calligraphy. He wrote "Lanting Preface" thirty-three times and "Huangting Jing" thirty-seven times. After writing, a voice came from the air and said: "Your calligraphy moved me, let alone ordinary people! I am the father-in-law of Tiantai." "The father-in-law of Tiantai is Zhong Yao, a senior calligrapher.
One winter, when the emperor was about to hold a sacrificial ceremony in the northern suburbs, he ordered Wang Xizhi to write the sacrificial prayers on a new blessing board. When the workers went on to cut the board, they found that Wang Xizhi's handwriting penetrated three-thirds of the way into the wood, and his strong writing power was clearly visible.
There is a similar example. Shen Defu of the Ming Dynasty said that Han Zongbo hid Wang Xizhi's authentic Cao'e stele. The words are written on silk. Over time, the silk has become slightly dull and the handwriting has faded. However, when you take a closer look, you can find that the meaning of the brushstrokes shines through the silk, and it is full of brilliance. You know that the ancients said that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is penetrating into the wood, which is true at all!
This is the origin of the idiom "three points into the wood". It was originally used to describe Wang Xizhi's calligraphy power, but later generations borrowed it to describe profound and pertinent comments, or precise and vivid descriptions. "Three-point penetration" has its own origin. It is a solid skill of breaking through the surface and going deep into the inside!