In the history of calligraphy in China, Dong Qichang occupied an important position in the late Ming Dynasty, and his calligraphy works were exquisite, which influenced the calligraphy circle in the late Ming Dynasty and even in the Qing Dynasty for nearly 300 years. Dong Qichang's success as an outstanding calligrapher is directly related to his resentment of studying because of his poor handwriting when he was young.
Dong Qichang was brilliant since he was a child and studied hard. He wrote very well since he was a child, and was praised by everyone. Dong Qichang himself was quite proud. 17 years old, Dong Qichang was admitted to Songjiang prefecture as a scholar. He got the topic, waved his hand and was the first to hand in the paper. Walking out of the examination room, he was full of ambition and thought that the first place was his. The officials who read the papers read his article and were full of praise. Most people suggested that it be ranked as the first, but only Songjiang magistrate Zhong disagreed: "The ancients said: The heart is right and the pen is right; But then again: books are people. Although it is true that the articles in this life are good, his calligraphy is really poor, and it is great to rank second. "
Because of poor handwriting, he fell from the first place to the second place, which greatly stimulated Dong Qichang. He felt great humiliation and made a determined effort to learn calligraphy and become a calligrapher. In the next three years, he studied hard, and his calligraphy advanced by leaps and bounds, gradually becoming famous. At this time, Dong Qichang was complacent, thinking that calligraphy was close to the ancients, and he won the purpose of Wei and Jin Dynasties, so that he stopped paying attention to Zhu Zhishan and Wen Zhiming in the middle of Ming Dynasty.
Once, he went to Jingkou to visit his friend Zhang. Zhang was a college student, and his calligraphy was also famous at that time. As soon as we met, we congratulated Dong Qichang on his rapid progress in calligraphy. Dong Qichang is not modest. Zhang spoke highly of Hehe's talent, but Dong Qichang disdainfully said, "Under fame, it's really hard to compare. Brother Zhang doesn't have to talk about raising others and belittling himself. " Knowing that Dong Qichang was arrogant, Zhang deliberately said that he now had Jiuhua Tie written by five famous writers. As soon as Dong Qichang listened to the spirit, he had long heard that Yang's works were exquisite in brushwork, vivid in stippling, sharp-edged and novel in structure, but he didn't see them with his own eyes. How can he let such a good thing go today? When Zhang began to watch Jiuhua Tie, he was watching eagerly at his desk. This post is only 7 lines and 63 words, but Dong Qichang still can't bear to put it down after reading it for more than an hour. At this time, he won the charm of famous works, and his calligraphy was like that of the ancients. It is getting late. Seeing Dong Qichang still watching intently, Zhang Jinchen asked him how he felt. Dong Qichang's face turned red: "I really don't climb Mount Tai", the height of Fuchiyama; You don't know the depth of the sea until you go into the sea. Thanks to Zhang Xiong, I just woke up today. "From then on, he was more enterprising, modest and eager to learn, and finally became a universally recognized master of calligraphy. Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty worshipped him very much.
Perception of life: Everyone should have an objective evaluation of himself and dare to admit and find out his own shortcomings. Even those who have a successful career should not sell themselves short. Only by constantly looking for gaps and taking timely measures to make up for them can they stay ahead or even lead.