Anyway, Sue comes first. Moreover, there is no sorting problem for Huang, Mi and Cai. This is not like Tang Jie's four great masters, "Yan Liu Ou Zhao" or "tern Liu Zhao". Different names relate to the ranking of Yan and Ouyang Xinben.
Su Shi himself thinks that Cai Xiang's calligraphy is "the first in the dynasty", one is out of courtesy, and the other is Cai Xiang's predecessor. Although Huang Tingjian complained that he was listed as a "Four Bachelor of Su Men", he was also qualified to complain because of his identity and contribution to modern poetry creation, but he never objected to Su Shi's calligraphy achievements. Only when Su Shi is gone can he say that he is "respected where there is no Buddha".
As for Mi Fei, his eyes have always been on Jin people, and he described Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Cai Xiang vividly: Su Shi painted figures, Huang Tingjian painted figures, Cai Xiang wrote words, and he painted figures himself. Judging from the four movements of painting, brushing, tracing and tracing, the most artistic conception is painting, while the most skillful brushing, tracing and tracing are slightly inferior. Therefore, Mi Fei respects Su Shi, who is inferior to him, and thinks that he will do his duty.
Now people's appreciation angle and level of calligraphy are different from before. Judging from the "face value" of words, Su Shi's words are not beautiful and are not suitable for beginners like Tang Kai to practice. In addition, some people pay attention to the so-called "line style" or "brushwork" and other details, and use this to measure ancient Chinese characters, thus drawing the conclusion that Mi Fei's calligraphy skills are better than Su Shi's. These comments are all reactionary to history.
The ancients thought that words are the heart and words are like people. To read words, we must first look at the person who writes; Judging people, regardless of cultural level, personal accomplishment, comprehensive quality, professional attainments and cross-disciplinary influence, what accurate and time-tested judgment can be drawn?
One more thing, Su Shi's words handed down at present are all in the second half of his life. Because of the disaster of Yuan Youdang, Su characters, including stone carvings and ink, were mostly destroyed and disappeared. Many of them were high imitations of later generations, but their shapes were similar, so naturally they could not write the original level. Secondly, Su Shi's life was full of troubles. Most of the ink marks circulating now are scribbled in a difficult environment, and the conditions are limited, so naturally they are not so particular. For example, Su Shi is good at using a chicken pen. Where can he be found in the turmoil of constant relegation and migration?
Judging from Su Shi's calligraphy handed down today, the standard of regular script is the highest, and large script is higher than small script. In the vicissitudes of life, it looks sweet and exquisite, and it is very attractive. From my personal appreciation point of view, it is getting better and better. Some famous monuments have been repeatedly carved or filled by later generations and distorted, but some have retained their original appearance. For example, there is a monument inscribed by Su Shi in Yuanfeng for four years. Although washed by years, it still retains the charm of Soviet characters.
In a word, Su Shi's calligraphy is not "not the best" as some people say. You can't draw a conclusion at a glance, you should analyze it carefully. From the perspective of regular script, it is far better than Huang, Mi and Cai. Judging from the cultural connotation represented by Chinese characters, it is the best not only in the Northern Song Dynasty, but even in the whole cultural history of China.