Zhang Zhi, the cursive sage of the Eastern Han Dynasty, is an important figure in the history of the development of calligraphy and has made great contributions to the development of cursive script. Below are the stories of Zhang Zhi that I collected and compiled. I hope it will be helpful to you.
Zhang Zhi’s story
When Zhang Zhi was a child, he loved writing and became obsessed with calligraphy. There is a pond next to Zhang Zhi's home. Zhang Zhi's father, Zhang Huan, in order to better cultivate his son's calligraphy skills, set up stone benches and tables beside the pond, and also bought brocade and silk for him to practice.
On the basis of these material conditions, Zhang Zhi began to practice calligraphy seriously. He wrote the words on the brocade silk. After writing, he washed the brocade silk in the pool and dried it before writing. In this way, day after day, year after year, Zhang Zhi's calligraphy level is getting higher and higher, and the pool next to him is getting darker and darker. When he became famous, Qingchi also became Mochi. This is enough to show Zhang Zhi's hard work in practice.
In addition to loving writing. Zhang Zhi also did not admire honor and despised fame and wealth. Because he came from a famous family, his father was also a famous politician in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial court issued an order to recruit Zhang Zhi to serve as an official in the court. But Zhang Zhi didn't appreciate it. He was recruited several times and refused several times. If he hadn't had a strong family background, he might have really offended Long Yan and committed a major crime. He was not greedy for high-ranking officials and generous salaries, and showed disdain for being an official. This behavior made many people in later generations feel inferior.
Many of Zhang Zhi’s works have not been handed down. What we know now is only a small part. According to later generations, Zhang Zhi was also an expert in pen making. In addition to writing, he also makes his own brushes in his spare time. This shows his mastery of the art of calligraphy.
What is Zhang Zhi’s profile?
Zhang Zhi, courtesy name Boying, was born in Jiuquan, Dunhuang. He was born into a family of officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His father was Zhang Huan, a famous politician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He served as an official in Liao Dynasty and Da Sinong, etc., and had outstanding military exploits. Zhang Zhi's mother is also a lady, virtuous and kind. Zhang Zhi grew up in such a superior environment.
Although his background conditions are very favorable, he does not have the bad habits of a stubborn child. Zhang Zhi was studious and devoted himself to calligraphy when he was very young. The imperial court recruited Zhang Zhi to serve as an official many times, but Zhang Zhi refused every time. Because his ambition is not here.
In order to learn calligraphy better, Zhang Zhi became a disciple of Cui Du. His father Zhang Huan, in order to help Zhang Zhi practice calligraphy, ordered his servants to forge stone tables, benches and ink ponds, and set them by the river. From then on, Zhang Zhi and his brothers used brocade and silk as books and washed books in the pond. Practice writing the book first, then wash and write again. This cycle goes back and forth day after day, and even the water in the pool is washed black. Later there was an allusion to Zhang Zhi and Black Pool. During this period of calligraphy practice, Zhang Zhi perfected Cui Du's calligraphy skills. Finally, he got rid of this shackles and created Zhang Zhi style cursive script.
Zhang Zhi’s cursive script created a new era in the calligraphy world. Everyone in calligraphy in later generations called Zhang Zhi's cursive script "one-stroke script". His handwriting is occasionally discontinuous, but the blood flow is continuous. This way of writing is enough to amaze everyone in calligraphy. Wang Xizhi, the great calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty, also had a special liking for Zhang Zhi's cursive script and was greatly influenced by it.
Evaluation of Zhang Zhi
First of all, Zhang Zhi is a hard-working person. Zhang Zhi has been practicing calligraphy since she was a child. The hard work of washing ink in the pond is enough to show Zhang Zhi's hard work. In order to write well, Zhang Zhi also worshiped Cui Du as his teacher and worked hard to learn calligraphy. In the end, Zhang Zhi's achievements were far higher than those of his teacher Cui Du.
The second point is that Zhang Zhi despises fame and wealth. The selection of officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty was based on the inspection system. Zhang Zhi comes from a well-off family and has a prosperous family. Therefore, the imperial court followed the official selection system, and Zhang Zhi was also among those summoned. However, Zhang Zhi remained indifferent to repeated calls from the court and repeatedly rejected the temptation of a high-ranking official with a generous salary. It is indeed an amazing move. Because in that environment at that time, joining the WTO might be a good development prospect. But Zhang Zhi refused this opportunity that many people could not get. From this point of view, Zhang Zhi is an indifferent person who despises fame and wealth.
Zhang Zhi’s cursive script caused a new trend in the Chinese calligraphy circle. It has injected a new blood into the book world. Chinese calligraphy sage Wang Xizhi once believed that his own calligraphy was not as good as Zhang Zhi's cursive script. Kuangcao master Huaisu also said that his cursive script originated from "Er Zhang". Many famous calligraphers in history have spoken highly of Zhang Zhi's cursive script.
He absorbed the essence of cursive script from folk and master calligraphy, forming the characteristics of "one stroke".