When we apply for jobs, we all have to submit resumes. Imagine if our great calligrapher Ouyang Xun wanted to find a job, what would he write on his resume?
Ouyang Xun’s profile picture
It would be to write that he is One of the four masters of the early Tang Dynasty, and then list his achievements in calligraphy one by one, or submit his works directly? But the conclusion given by later generations that he is one of the four masters of the early Tang Dynasty does not seem to be applicable. Of course, in In ancient times, you didn't need a resume to apply for an official position, you just needed someone to recommend you.
Ouyang Xun experienced three dynasties in his life, namely the Southern Chen Dynasty, Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. Of course, the Sui Dynasty had begun to implement the imperial examination system, so Ouyang Xun could also pass the imperial examination to serve the country.
Ouyang Xun held many official positions throughout his life, all of which were related to etiquette or document compilation, which also proved his attainments in literature and calligraphy. If you think that to hold a civil position you only need to be knowledgeable, you are wrong. You also need to be able to write well. If others don't recognize your handwriting, then the book you compiled will be of no use.
Therefore, Ouyang Xun, who is highly accomplished in calligraphy, still has an advantage. His representative works such as "The Story of Orchid Pavilion" and "Thirty-Six Stratagems" are enough for others to look up to him. . In addition to these, Ouyang Xun is also good at stele engraving. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than a dozen regular scripts inscribed on Ouyang Xu's stele that can be seen today. Of course, only four have been recognized by experts, but this is enough for many people to spend their entire lives.
Furthermore, the others are all forgeries by later generations, which is also the reason why their calligraphy is so popular.
Yang Shiqi in the Ming Dynasty once commented on Ouyang Xun's calligraphy, saying that his writing style is strict and has the character of a literati. It has the elegance of Jin Dynasty calligraphy without losing its own regularity. As a beginner, as long as you keep learning, you will definitely achieve something.
The Life of Ouyang Xun
When we take Chinese classes, the teacher always asks us to memorize a lot of literary common sense. I believe everyone has memorized the "Four Masters of the Early Tang Dynasty" and "Ou Yu". Wait, friends who like calligraphy should also know who "Da Ou" is. Yes, what we are going to talk about today is Ouyang Xun.
Portrait of Ouyang Xun
When Ouyang Xun is mentioned, what comes to everyone’s mind? It’s the letters written by Ouyang Xun that we have memorized in the past. He was from Linxiang, Tanzhou, and Yu Shinan , Chu Suiliang and Xue Ji are collectively known as the Four Great Masters of the Early Tang Dynasty, and together with Yu Shinan are also known as "Ou Yu". Or will you still think of some of his major achievements, such as "Teaching Secrets", "Using the Pen" and "Thirty-six Methods"?
So do you know what official positions Ouyang Xun once held, and how he became a master of calligraphy? Let us tell a story about Ouyang Xun!
In China, which has a civilization of five thousand years, the change of dynasties is a normal thing. People who have studied history also know that people in troubled times will go through several dynasties. Maybe the dynasty was just established today and will be divided by other separatist forces tomorrow. destroyed. Closer to home, Ouyang Xun experienced three dynasties in his life. He was born in Chen Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty and was an aristocrat, but he was not the playboy that people often say. On the contrary, he is talented, sensitive and eager to learn. He is a young man with real talents and learning.
Perhaps he is jealous of the talent, but at the age of thirty-three, he was imprisoned because of his father's rebellion. Fortunately, he was protected by his father's friend Mr. Jiang and survived, just like that sentence As the saying goes, when God closes a door for you, he will open a window for you.
Mr. Jiang who saved him from danger happened to be a calligrapher, and Ouyang Xun was diligent and studious. Therefore, under his guidance, Ouyang Xun's calligraphy improved rapidly, and he was fortunate to serve as a calligrapher. He became the "Dr. Taichang" who was in charge of the ancestral temple's etiquette and other matters.
During this period, he also experienced the Sui Dynasty. When he was nearly sixty years old, he had close contacts with Li Mi. Everyone must know who Li Mi was, so he was later appointed as the "Bachelor of Hongwen Hall" who specialized in editing articles. Waiting positions.
Characteristics of Ouyang Xun's fonts
As the saying goes: "Seeing words is like seeing people." That is to say, from a person's words, you can see a person's character and how he conducts himself in the world. How is it? Words are a person’s facade, a person’s face.
Ouyang Xuntu
Therefore, many people practice calligraphy, running script, regular script, cursive script, thin gold script, etc. There are many famous calligraphers in our country's five thousand years of history.
When it comes to regular script, we have to mention a person. Among his calligraphy, official script is the most popular, but he is praised by the world for his regular script. Who is this person, and what are the characteristics of his calligraphy?
say When this person's name is mentioned, many calligraphy enthusiasts will suddenly realize, oh, it's him, yes, it's Ouyang Xun. Ouyang Xun's regular script is strict and standardized, with strong and powerful strokes, and the official meaning can be seen in the closing of the strokes, which is clean and neat.
Someone in the Qing Dynasty once commented that Ouyang Xun's calligraphy emphasized the use of strength between the fingers. The structure of the strokes is rigorous and powerful, and the character is retained. It is neither too plump and round, nor too thin and slender. Every painting is just perfect. One point more is too long, one point less is too short, the weight is appropriate and the length is appropriate.
Of course, in addition to using the strength between his fingers, his calligraphy also strives to use the pen to strictly control the strength of the middle part of the stroke, such as a simple horizontal stroke, interrupting the fullness of the pen; there are also some characters where the main strokes are particular. Extend outward to show the tightness of the characters. Especially when writing vertical paintings on the right half, there is often an exaggerated upward extension. These unique compositions of Ouyang Xun's pen show his extraordinary courage.
Ouyang Xun also created the "Eight Jue", which gave people a good explanation of his unique insights into calligraphy. Some people from the Tang Dynasty commented that his eight tactics were used to the extreme, perfectly demonstrating the danger of strength
Ouyang Xun's masterpiece
Historical celebrities all have their own representative works. Even if there are no representative works, there must be historical contributions, otherwise how can it be famous through the ages. But don’t forget that the word corresponding to the word “famous through the ages” is called “infamous for thousands of years”, such as Qin Hui.
Ouyang Xun’s representative paintings
So which category does the Ouyang Xun we are talking about today belong to? Let’s take a look at his representative works. You must be yourself by then There will be some conclusion.
Those who like calligraphy, and more specifically, those who like regular script, must have heard of such a person. He is good at regular script inscriptions. There are more than a dozen kinds of works that can be seen today, although they have been recognized by experts as authentic. There are only four kinds, but this is enough for many of us to learn for a long time.
Many of Ouyang Xun's works have been handed down in their entirety, such as "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Ming", which describes the summer vacation of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin in Jiucheng Palace. This work was compiled by Wei Zheng, and then he wrote it in regular script When it was written, Ouyang Xun was already seventy-six years old at the time, but his calligraphy skills were still neat and neat, without showing off his appearance at all. This is evident from his calligraphy accomplishments. "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Ming", praised as "the ultimate standard of regular script", has always been deeply loved by calligraphy enthusiasts.
In addition, there are regular script works such as "Thirty-Six Strategies", "Eight Secrets", "Yu Gonggong Monument", "Huangfu Birthday Monument", "Huadu Temple Pagoda Inscription" and Buddhist classics written in small regular script "Heart Sutra". The most famous works in running script are "Meng Dian Tie" and "Zhang Han Tie".
Among the official script works are the "Stele of Fang Yanqian, the Governor of Xuzhou in the Tang Dynasty", which was written during the Zhenguan period, and the inscription was written by Li Baiyao. Very few of Ouyang Xun's official scripts have been handed down, but this inscription is rigorous in writing and powerful in style, which is quite a legacy of the Six Dynasties.