Yan Zhenqing has made great achievements in poetry through hard study, and there are 34 works that have been handed down to this day. Among them, this concise four-line poem "Encouraging Learning" is the most enlightening:
Every day when the cock crows, it is the best time for boys to read. Teenagers only know how to play, but don't know how to study hard. When they are old, they regret why they didn't know how to study hard when they were young.
This poem is exactly the experience summed up by Yan Zhenqing in his sufferings, and encourages students not to be mediocre, but to cherish time and make a difference.
As for Yan Zhenqing's identity, he is not only the most famous "great calligrapher", but also a famous minister and outstanding strategist in the Tang Dynasty.
When Yan Zhenqing first came into contact with calligraphy, he was inspired by Chu Suiliang's works, and later he worshipped Zhang Xu, the earliest "sage of grass" in the Tang Dynasty. At first, Zhang Xu just introduced some famous copybooks to Yan Zhenqing, and then he simply pointed out the characteristics of copybooks and asked Yan Zhenqing to go to the clinic himself. Sometimes when Yan Zhenqing is tired of writing, Zhang Xu takes him out to play. Not climbing mountains or swimming, or shopping, or going to the opera. After this lap, I took Yan Zhenqing home. Or let Yan Zhenqing practice, or read by himself.
A few months later, Yan Zhenqing felt that he couldn't get the master's calligraphy secret, so he directly put forward his own questions and demands to Zhang Xu. He hoped that Zhang Xu could teach himself the secret of practicing calligraphy.
Zhang Xu smiled faintly, but still said: "Taking you out for sightseeing on weekdays is actually to let you observe the shape of everything, let you know their essence, and finally inspire you how to practice calligraphy." Yan Zhenqing didn't realize Master's good intentions. As a last resort, Zhang Xu had to move out of Wang Xizhi's method: the so-called "secret" is to study hard and practice hard, and there is no other way.
From then on, Yan Zhenqing began to study hard. In this way, he realized the essence of calligraphy from his life and eventually became a great calligrapher. He made an in-depth study of the calligraphy of Erwang and Chu Suiliang, learning from each other's strong points and forming a unique "face". In addition, it is also called "Yan Liu" and "Yan Liu Jin Gu" with calligrapher Liu Gongquan.
Yan Zhenqing's regular script is dignified and vigorous, combining rigidity with softness. The brushwork is vigorous and powerful, simple and atmospheric. These calligraphy features are the charm of the Tang Dynasty. Yan Zhenqing studied calligraphy all his life, and there are more than 40 calligraphy works handed down to later generations. People's familiar inscriptions have obvious characteristics, such as Duobaota Monument, Magu Mountain Xiantan Monument, Yan Liqin Monument and Yanjiamiao Monument. ...
In addition to regular script, his cursive script also exudes unique charm because of its coherent charm. His "Sacrifice to the Nephew" was also praised as "the second running script in the world" by later calligraphers. As for this work, there is still a sad history.
In 752 (the 11th year of Tianbao), Yan Zhenqing, who was healthy and upright, was rejected by Prime Minister Yang for a long time, so he was transferred from the capital and became the prefect of the Plain.
This plain county was originally under the jurisdiction of An Shi Rebellion, and the thoughtful Yan Zhenqing soon discovered some signs of An Shi Rebellion. In order not to alarm him, he raised the fence in the dark on the grounds of "uncertain rain" In addition, while dredging the moat, he recruited able-bodied men for a rainy day.
In order to better paralyze An Lushan, Yan Zhenqing drinks and plays with a group of people on the cruise ship every day. An Lushan never imagined that this was Yan Zhenqing's "smoke bomb". Sure enough, two years later, An Lushan rebelled in Fanyang under the pretext of "secret edict against Yang".
Most counties in Hebei were quickly captured by rebels, and only Pingyuan City under the jurisdiction of Yan Zhenqing was well defended. At this time, Li Ping, who sent troops to join the army in time, rushed to Chang 'an and made a report to Xuanzong.
At that time, Xuanzong thought that the twenty-four counties in Hebei had been captured by the traitor An Lushan. He didn't expect that Yan Zhenqing turned out to be a well-behaved sage.
There are only 3,000 military forces in Pingyuan County, and Yan Zhenqing has recruited 10,000 more soldiers. He made a generous speech righteously, and the whole army was inspired with blood boiling. Since then, the governors of Raoyang, Jin 'an, Qinghe, Jincheng, Ye Jun and other places have led the people to join him. The court also sent the Northern Sea satrap Helan to Jin Ming to lead 5,000 chosen men to help cross the river.
At the same time, Yan Zhenqing's cousin Yan Gaoqing served as a satrap in Changshan (now Zhengding, Hebei Province), and his son Yan Jiming followed him bravely against the enemy. In 756 (the fifteenth year of Tianbao), An Lushan led a rebel army to surround Changshan, and Yan Jiming was unfortunately captured. An Lushan took this opportunity to force Yan Gaoqing to surrender. But Yan Gaoqing refused to give in to the rebels, so he angrily cursed An Lushan. Soon, Yan Jiming was ruthlessly beheaded by the rebels. After the rebels invaded Changshan City, Yan Gaoqing was also captured and taken to Luoyang. He still glared at the traitor An Lushan. Finally, An Lushan saw that he didn't want to submit to himself, so he killed him in cold blood. Yanshi, in this Anshi rebellion, a * * * killed more than 30 people.
In 758 (the first year), Yan Zhenqing finally found an opportunity to send someone to Hebei to retrieve the head of the nephew of the Tang Dynasty, and wrote the "Sacrifice to the Nephew" (full name: Ji, the nephew praised the doctor) with great sadness. In this manuscript, Yan Zhenqing tells the story of his cousins Yan Gaoqing and Yan Jiming who died in heroic resistance to the enemy.
Because the calligraphy in this work combines the sadness of the author Yan Zhenqing, the whole story is like a flood, and the calligraphy style is magnificent and bold, with a cavity of grief and indignation. Therefore, later generations called it "the second running script in the world", second only to Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting, and called it "the first running script in the world".
In 784 (the first year of Xingyuan), the unyielding Yan Zhenqing was killed by the rebel army, and all the soldiers of the three armed forces shed tears for him. ...
Yan Zhenqing experienced four dynasties: Xuan, Su, Dai and De. He has served as four censors, six ministers and six ministers. He was an official of a prince and was appointed as the founding father of Luxian County. The world respectfully calls him "Yan Lugong". The people of Sri Lanka have passed away, and this character still exists. Later, many emperors, generals and poets spoke highly of him.
There are still many calligraphy lovers who copy his works every day. While learning Chinese characters, I also felt his valuable integrity. ...