The main characteristics of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy are peaceful and natural, euphemistic and implicit, and elegant and graceful.
Wang Xizhi’s greatest achievement was to change the simple calligraphy style of Han and Wei dynasties into a calligraphy style with exquisite brushwork and beautiful style, and pioneered the beautiful and smooth cursive calligraphy. In particular, the running script "Preface to Orchid Pavilion" is like flowing clouds and flowing water, free and elegant, with delicate bones, beautiful pointillism, alternating density and density, and clever white and white cloth. It contains extremely rich artistic beauty within the size. No matter horizontally, vertically, dotted, left, hooked, folded or pressed, it can be said that the skill of using the pen to make the sharpest strokes is the best.
Anecdotes and allusions
Three points into the wood
It is said that the emperor at that time wanted to go to the northern suburbs to offer sacrifices, and asked Wang Xizhi to write the congratulations on a wooden board, and then sent workers to carve them. . The engraver chipped away at the wooden board layer by layer and found that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy ink had been printed all the way into the wooden board. He cut three-thirds of the way down before reaching the bottom. The carpenter marveled at Wang Xizhi's powerful brushwork, his superb calligraphy skills, and the strength of his brushstrokes that could penetrate three-thirds of the wood. "Three Points into the Wood" is derived from this story.