Learning to calligraphy
When Mi Fu was a child, he learned to write in a private school. He studied for three years but failed. One day, a scholar who came to Beijing to take the exam passed by the village. Mi Fu heard that the scholar was good at handwriting, so he went to ask for advice. The scholar looked through the stack of papers written by Mi Fu Lin, and if he realized something, he said to him: "If you want to learn to write from me, there is a condition. You have to buy my paper. However, it is more expensive, five taels of silver per piece." Mi Fu was startled when he heard this, and thought: "How can such expensive paper be used? Isn't this deliberately embarrassing?" Seeing his hesitation, the scholar said, "Forget it if it's expensive!" Mi Fu is eager to learn. , borrowed five taels of silver and gave it to the scholar. The scholar handed him a piece of paper and said, "Go back and write it carefully. Show it to me in three days."
When he got home, Mi Fu held up a piece of paper bought for fifty taels of silver and looked at it from left to right. Look, don’t dare to use it easily. So I opened the copybook and scratched it on the desk with a pen that was not dipped in ink, thinking about the spacing and strokes of each word. I pondered over and over again in this way, and I became fascinated.
Three days later, the scholar came. Seeing Mi Fu sitting there, holding a pen in his hand, looking at the copybook in a trance, but not a word was written on the paper, he pretended to be surprised and asked: "Why haven't you written it yet?" Mi Fu was startled, and then he woke up as if from a dream, and then he remembered When the three-day deadline was up, he murmured: "I, I'm afraid of ruining the paper." The scholar laughed loudly, pointed at the paper with his fan and said: "Okay, after thinking about it for three days, write something for me to see. Let's go!"
Mi Fu took up the pen and wrote the word "Yong". The scholar took it over and looked at it. He saw that the handwriting was very good, which was much better than the previous handwriting. So he asked: "Why can't it be written well in three years but can be written well in three days?" Mi Fu carefully answered: " Because this paper is expensive, I'm afraid of wasting it, so I don't dare to write it down as I did before. Instead, I carefully ponder the words first..."
"Yes!" Xiucai interrupted Mi Fu. Said: "Learning calligraphy is not just about writing, but also about moving your heart. You must not only observe its shape, but also understand its spirit and understand it from your heart, so that you can write well. Now that you know the secret of writing, it's time for me to go." With that, the scholar waved The pen added seven words on the paper with the word "Yong" written on it: "(Yong) will never be forgotten, and the silver pattern is five taels." He took out the five taels of silver from his arms and gave it back to Mi Fu, and then went out on the road to take the exam. .
Mi Fu has always kept these five taels of silver on his desk, always remembering this enlightening teacher who taught so hard, and using this to motivate himself to study hard and practice hard.
Mi Fu is famous for his calligraphy. His achievements are entirely due to his hard work. Mi Fu visits the pond every day. Historical records record: "If you don't write for a day, you will feel dull and think about the ancients." It's a useless book. "If Zhi Yong can make an inkstone into a mortar, he can reach Youjun (Wang Xizhi). If he can penetrate Zhong (Yao) and Suo (Jing), he can always encourage him." I didn’t forget to write on the first day of the new year. (According to Sun Zubai's "Mi Fu Mi Youren"). Mi Fu was very conscientious in writing. He said: "She wrote "Hai Dai Shi" three or four times, with one or two good words in between. It is also difficult to write letters" (Mi Xiangyang Foreign Notes by Fan Mingtai of the Ming Dynasty). After writing a poem three or four times, I am still satisfied with only one or two words. The joys and sorrows involved are beyond the reach of an expert, which also shows the rigor of his creative attitude.