Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" is very famous as "the best running script in the world", but generally speaking, the most important point in calligraphy works is not what is written, but how it is written. , that is, the way each character is written. The reason why "Lanting Preface" has such a high status has a lot to do with Wang Xizhi's own fame and the technique of the work. However, some people point out that "Lanting Preface" was not actually written by Wang Xizhi. What's going on?
""Lanting" has not been true since ancient times" was said by Qi Gong; "If the emperor has seen it, it won't be false?" was said by Guo Moruo; "It's pieced together. ", incoherent, and unclear" is the conclusion reached by Shi Zhecun after analyzing the "Lanting Preface" sentence by sentence.
The above remarks basically summarize the three aspects of the academic community's doubts about "Lanting Preface", namely calligraphy style, writing style, and origin.
The Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties were an important node in the development of Chinese calligraphy. During this period, Zhang (Cao), Zhong (Kaifeng) and Wang (Xing) were outstanding representatives. But what is Wang Xizhi's true calligraphy style?
Bao Shichen of the Qing Dynasty said in "Yizhou Shuangji" that the calligraphy of the world-famous king "has strong calligraphy power", and from the calligraphy in "Chunhua Pavilion" Seeing that Wang's character is not powerful, he concluded that "Lanting" was written by Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. In the later Xianfeng period, Li Wentian also pointed out in the postscript of "Dingwu Lanting" that the Jin Dynasty book should not be separated from "Cuan Baozi" and "Cuan Baozi". "Cuan Longyan" is based on regular script and is inconsistent with the particularly mature calligraphy style of "Lanting".
At the time of Guo Moruo, he followed Li Wentian's theory and based on the "Epitaph of Xie Kun" and "Epitaph of Wang Xing" unearthed in the 1960s, completely overturned "Lanting" and considered it to be a fake trust by Zhiyong. And set off the "Lanting Debate" that shocked the cultural circles across the country.
The historical materials about "Lanting Preface" that can be found so far include "Book of Jin·Biography of Wang Xizhi", "Yiwen Leiju", "Lanting Notes", "Jiahua of Sui and Tang Dynasties", and "Zizhi Tongjian" ", "New and Old Tang Books", etc. were all compiled after the Tang Dynasty. The "Linhe Xu" annotated by Liu Xiao in the "Shi Shuo Xin Yu·Qixian Pian" compiled by the Southern Song Dynasty before the Tang Dynasty is the only "Lanting Preface" that can be tested. in accordance with. However, the original text of "Linhe Xu" has some additions and deletions from the "Lanting" that has been handed down to this day, and it is very similar in meaning to Shi Chong's "Jingu Shi Xu". Li Wentian believed that later generations' annotations could only include deletions but not additions. Shi Zhecun, a famous scholar and Chinese language educator, explained the "Lanting Preface" dozens of times, but in his later years he still could not understand the logical relationship of the context of "Lanting". Finally, the following conclusion is a pseudo-text by the Tang people who forcibly attached the ideas of "Lao and Zhuang".
Liu Kui, a historian in the Tianbao year of Li Longji in the Tang Dynasty and a scholar of Jixian, has a new theory on the spread of "Lanting" in his "Jiahua of Sui and Tang Dynasties":
Wang Youjun "Lanting Preface" Liang Luan was out of town, and was acquired by Seng Yong (Zhiyong) in Chen Tianjia (560-566), and was presented to Emperor Xuan (Chen Xu) in Taijian (569-582). In the Sui Dynasty, Chen Ri might offer it to the King of Jin (Yangdi Yang Guang), but the King did not know the treasure. Later monk Zhiguo borrowed Tutu from the emperor. When he reached the top, he never asked for it. After the death of the fruit master, the disciple monk obtained it. On the day when Emperor Taizong was the King of Qin, he was surprised to see the rubbings of "Lanting" written by the king, which was sold at a high price, but it was never found. When he learned that he was at the debater's office, he sent Xiao Yi to travel across the state to get it, and entered the Qin Mansion in the fourth year of Wude (621). In the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), ten copies were copied and given to ministers. When the emperor died, Zhongshu ordered Chu Suiliang to report: "Lanting was so important to the late emperor that it cannot be kept." So it was kept secret in Zhaoling.
Several key points can be learned from this: (1) "Lanting" was hidden in the inner palace of the Liang Dynasty until the end; (2) "Lanting" was not directly passed down from Wang Xizhi's family to the seventh monk Sun Zhiyong; (3) "Lanting" was passed down to Monk Biancai after Zhiguo borrowed it but never returned it.
(1) Since "Lanting" was once hidden in the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Liang often discussed books with Tao Hongjing, and he was good at the king's books, why is there no mention of "Lanting" in "Lun Shuqi" What about the representative works of Wang Shu?
(2) Since Zhiyong is the seventh generation grandson of Wang Xizhi, he should be treasured after he obtained "Lanting" which was released during the "Hou Jing Rebellion". Why offer it to Emperor Xuan again? This is a fallacy. Later, he presented it to Emperor Yang, which was a mistake.
(3) Zhiguo had a good relationship with Emperor Yang Guang, so he was able to "borrow "Lanting" without returning it."
Yang Guang is also a person who understands books. He once commented: "Wisdom will always be obtained from Xi's flesh; wisdom will be obtained from Xi's bones." Judging from the fact that "Lanting" has evolved from the mature calligraphy style of the Six Dynasties, and is slightly different from the graceful and plump style of Zhiyong, it seems to be closer to what Zhiguo imagined.
Skeptics believe that the "Lanting Preface" that appeared out of nowhere after the Tang Dynasty seems to be inseparable from Wang Xizhi's title of "Sage of Calligraphy". It is even considered to be Li Shimin's "tool of governing the world and whitewashing his writing style".
The centrists believe that ancient books can be divided into "stone-inscribed books", "Xingxu books" and "constitutional books". Monuments were prohibited in the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties, so "xingxu" became popular. "Inscribed Stone Script" is used to write inscriptions on tablets, and it is not surprising that the writing sometimes contains regular script with official meaning; while "Xingya Script" is mostly composed of Zhang Cao, such as "Boyuan Tie", "Pingfu Tie", or "Chunhua Tie" ", "Xuanhe", calligraphy of the Six Dynasties. . . Although Wang Xizhi "added to the ancient and modern style and created new styles", the origin should be traceable, and after all, it cannot escape the limitations of the times.
Sometimes I think carefully: for 1,700 years, what has shrouded the symbols of cultural essence, the aesthetic mood of the Chinese people, and influenced the history of calligraphy is actually the "Void Pavilion" built around the "Lanting Preface" Pavilion" is indeed "extremely scary". Perhaps it was the momentary dislocation of historical time and space that led to this ultimate beautiful encounter. People are not allowed to touch this "towering authority" for fear that it will collapse if they touch it. After all, there are not many "Lanting" like "Lanting" in the hearts of the Chinese people. . . !