As for people who were good at calligraphy since ancient times, in the Han and Wei dynasties, there were Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi who had outstanding calligraphy skills, and in the late Jin Dynasty, it was Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi who had exquisite calligraphy. Wang Xizhi said: "I have recently studied the calligraphy of famous masters. Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi are indeed outstanding, and the rest are not worthy of appreciation." It can be said that after the death of Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi succeeded them. Wang Xizhi also said: "Compared with Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi, my calligraphy is on par with Zhong Yao, or slightly surpasses him.
Zhang Zhi's cursive calligraphy can be compared with his; because Zhang Zhi's cursive calligraphy can be compared with his; Zhi is skilled in studying and studying in the pond, and the water in the pond can be dyed black. If I work hard and study hard like him, I may not be able to catch up with him." This is the meaning of recommending Zhang Zhi and thinking that he is better than Zhong Yao. Examining the calligraphy expertise of Wang Xizhi and his son, although they have not yet fully realized the rules of their predecessors, they are able to master various calligraphy styles and are worthy of the cause of calligraphy.
Original text:
Among those who have been good at calligraphy since ancient times, Zhong and Zhang were the best in the Han and Wei dynasties, and they were called the two kings in the late Jin Dynasty. Wang Xizhi said: "After a short search of famous books, Zhong and Zhang Xin are the most outstanding, and the rest are not enough." It can be said that Zhong and Zhang Yun disappeared, and Xi and Xian succeeded them. He also said: "My book is compared to Zhong Zhang. Zhong should resist, or it can be said that it is better. Zhang Cao is like a flying goose. However, Zhang is very skilled, and the water in the pool is exhausted. If I am delayed like this, I will not necessarily thank you." This is the intention of promoting Zhang Mai Zhong. Examining his expertise, although he failed to achieve the result according to the previous rules, he has mastered all aspects, so he is not ashamed of what he is doing now.
Creative background:
Sun Guoting once served as a right guard and joined the army, and led the government to record affairs and join the army. Be ambitious, liberal and ancient. He is good at regular script and running script, and is especially good at cursive script. He takes after the French kings Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, and his writing style is strong and powerful, almost rivaling those of the two kings. Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty believed that Tang Cao had no equal in obtaining the two kings' methods. However, some commentators, such as Dou Wu, ridiculed his book as a thousand pieces of paper with the same character.
Sun Guoting came from a humble background. In his "age of learning", he paid attention to calligraphy and calligraphy. He concentrated on calligraphy for twenty years and finally became self-taught. When he was forty years old, he became a minor official who "led the government to record affairs and joined the army." Because of his noble conduct, he was slandered and lost his official position. After resigning and returning home, he fell ill and concentrated on studying calligraphy and writing essays. Unfortunately, before he could finish the manuscript, Sun Guoting died suddenly in a guesthouse in Zhiyeli, Luoyang due to poverty and illness.
Chen Zi'ang, a great poet in the early Tang Dynasty, once wrote the "Epitaph of Sun Jun who led the mansion to record things" and "The essay to Sun Jun who led the mansion to record things in Wei" for him. He said, "After Yuan Chang (Zhong Yao) died, his ink was wonderful. If you don’t pass it on, you will be the legacy of your emperor, and you will be the same as the immortals throughout the ages.” Comparing Sun Guoting to Zhong Yao, the great calligrapher of the Three Kingdoms period, it can be seen that he was very respected in the early Tang Dynasty.