The earliest extant calligraphy work in my country is the famous "Ode to the Master", which was created by Suo Jing in the Han Dynasty.
Suo Jing (239-303), a famous calligrapher in the Western Jin Dynasty. His courtesy name is You'an, a native of Dunhuang (now Gansu), and the grandson of Sister Zhang Zhi, the "Grass Saint". When the official went to conquer Nan Sima and Shangshu Lang, he was granted the title of Marquis of Anleting, with the posthumous title of Zhuang.
According to the Song Dynasty's "Xuanhe Shupu", Suo Jing was extremely intelligent and talented in his youth. Together with Xiang Zi Si Zhong, Zhang Gu, Suo Jie and Suo Yong, he is known as the "Five Abilities of Dunhuang".
Suo Jing has profound attainments in the art of calligraphy. He has not only reached the peak of the times, but also has an unshakable position in the entire history of calligraphy development. Suo Jing is famous all over the world for his Zhangcao and is recognized as a representative Zhangcao master of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Suo Jing inherited the essence of Zhang Zhi’s cursive calligraphy, and at the same time improved and developed it on its basis. His calligraphy is steep and steep, and his brushwork is strong and powerful.
Historians commented that his calligraphy was "similar to that of Xi (Wang Xizhi) and Xian (Wang Xianzhi)". Zhang Huai of the Tang Dynasty commented on his calligraphy and said: "You'an is good at Zhangcao, and the calligraphy comes from Wei Dan, Jun If you pass through it, there will be a crack in the mountain shape, a hanging water flow, a solitary pine in the cloud ridge, and dangerous rocks in the glacier. Its strength cannot be compared in ancient and modern times. If the law of Yun Kai is too Jin, the soldiers will be at their best and show off their power. Watch their majesty. If you are brave enough to mausoleize Zhang, why should you be in Wei? "Wang Yin of the Eastern Jin Dynasty said: "Jingcao is peerless, and the scholars are all natural. I advise you not to reward him."
The font of "Ode to the Master" is Zhangcao. It is one of the benchmark works in Zhangcao calligraphy. It combines the calmness and heaviness of official script with the smoothness and conciseness of cursive script. It is powerful yet agile, round yet stretched. One of the most striking features is that all hook strokes are back and gathering momentum, like a scorpion's tail. This stroke Suo Jing calls himself "Silver Hook Hao Wei".
In addition, the horizontal and vertical strokes of official script have strong meaning. The pen is left everywhere, the strokes are closed, and the posture is natural, which has the effect of "short strokes and long meanings". At the turning point, the square fold of official script is obviously changed into a round turn. Each character has the beauty of free and flowing appearance, but also has the simple meaning of connotation. The elegant atmosphere and ancient charm can be said to be a clever blend of the simplicity of official script and the flow of cursive script.
Modern people have commented: "There is not a word in it that does not have the meaning of official, and there is not a word in it that is official; there is not a word in it that is careless, and there is not a word that is not cursive. It is written in official style. The structure is like regular script, and the mood is like grass. Its writing style is steady and rigorous, without any scruples, and the strokes are flying; Extreme. Its writing is rigorous and meticulous, but its structure is extremely concise and precise.