A brief introduction to the annotation content of classic inscriptions.

In the Tang Dynasty, Sun once said in the Book Score: "It is advisable to recite words when writing a book." He also said: "the grass makes it turn, so you can't write;" Drawing a picture is really a loss, but you can still remember the words. " This points out the original function of calligraphy as a written record. Therefore, if we read ancient inscriptions from an academic point of view, then the texts of inscriptions are obviously articles that should be studied and appreciated-they are objective historical materials, beautiful literary works, incisive exposition of abstract theories and practical tools for social life.

The fine tradition of ancient literati is to take a dialectical attitude towards these precious stone carvings. While they regard the stone tablet as the object of artistic appreciation, they never ignore its academic value. Even out of the preference of literati, most of them tend to pay more attention to the latter. Looking through epigraphy works in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, it is not difficult to find that there are fewer people talking about art and more people studying literature and history. As soon as Jin Cui Shi Bian came out, it painted a magnificent picture of epigraphy with a comprehensive attitude. Jin Cui Shi Bian covers a wide range and is highly academic, and it is still an essential reference book for researchers of literature and history.

The art of calligraphy is flourishing today. At the same time, the original two branches of research on ancient stone carvings, namely, art and scholarship, are gradually divided with the refinement of social division of labor. This is in line with historical laws. Only by independence can the research be refined and deepened, but we should also realize that it is equally harmful to completely separate the two. If we go back to a slightly higher level to look at art and scholarship, they are still flesh and blood, because they belong to the category of humanities.

The study of inscriptions must begin with interpretation and annotation. The practice of attaching explanations to photocopied inscriptions is becoming more popular now. A few famous inscriptions are annotated, translated and introduced as specific historical materials, and can be seen from time to time in books and periodicals. The representative works that annotate stone carvings as pure historical materials are: Notes on Selected Works of Stone Inscriptions in Han Dynasty during the Republic of China and Collection of Stone Inscriptions in Han Dynasty by contemporary Mr. Gao Wen. From the perspective of calligraphy, this paper collects a certain scale of classic inscriptions, and makes full-text annotation and translation for the majority of calligraphy lovers to read in their spare time, understand the academic value of these inscriptions, taste their literary interest, and provide reference books from different perspectives for "reading inscriptions".

Roughly speaking, the number of works included in the annotation of classic inscriptions is 100, with "calligraphy classics" and "readable characters" as the standards, Qin Dynasty as the upper limit and Yuan Dynasty as the lower limit.