Wei Shuo is Mrs. Wei, an outstanding female calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Wei Shuo was born in Anyi, Henan Province (now Xiaxian County, Shanxi Province). Wei Shuo was born into a family of calligraphers. Her great-grandfather Wei Kai, grandfather Wei Guan and uncle Wei Heng were all great calligraphers, and they were quite influential in the history of calligraphy. She was influenced by her family since she was a child. Under the strict requirements of her father and uncle, she finally became an outstanding female calligrapher in ancient China.
Wei Shuo is good at official script and regular script. Although she was deeply influenced by the calligraphy family, she inherited Zhong You's brushwork. According to "The Names of Calligraphy to be Recorded and Handed", Cai Yong passed on Cui Yuan and his daughter Cai Wenji, Cai Wenji passed on Zhong You, and Zhong You passed on Mrs. Wei. According to legend, regular script was founded in the Han Dynasty, and when it came to Zhong You's hand, its writing method was perfect, and it was the ancestor of regular script. Wei Shuo inherited the exquisiteness of Zhong You's calligraphy. After seeing Wei Shuo's calligraphy, Zhong You appreciated it very much, saying that her calligraphy was "ice of broken jade pots, the moon of rotten Yao Taiwan, graceful trees and a cool breeze". That is to say, Wei Shuo's calligraphy is as pure as crushed ice in a jade pot, as dazzling as the moonlight in Yaotai, as gentle as a fragrant tree, and as neat as a breeze. There is a pleasing and refreshing feeling. Wei Xu, a Tang Dynasty poet, praised Wei Shuo's calligraphy even more, saying, "Mrs. Wei's calligraphy is like arranging flowers and dancing girls, holding down hibiscus, and like a beautiful woman on the stage and a fairy taking pictures. If the red lotus reflects the water, the blue marsh floats. "
Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, studied calligraphy with Wei Shuo when he was young. At that time, Wei Shuo's calligraphy was highly respected by famous artists and was very famous. Taichang Wang Ce has a son named Wang Xizhi, who is seven years old. He liked calligraphy very much, so he found Wei Shuo and asked her to teach his son calligraphy. Wei Shuo saw that Wang Xizhi was smart, studious and highly savvy, so he agreed. Wang Xizhi is very energetic in practicing calligraphy. No matter what season, what weather and what happens, he doesn't care. In less than three years, the words he wrote are powerful and frustrated. Wei Shuo was very happy to see him, and praised him: "This child's calligraphy has grown so fast that he will be more famous than me in the future."
when Wang Xizhi was 12 years old, he found that his father had a previous generation of Pen Lun hidden under his pillow, so he took it out and secretly read it, and tried his best to figure out and practice according to what the calligraphy wrote, which greatly improved his calligraphy level. Things, of course, from his teacher Wei Shuo. Wei Shuo said to Wang Xizhi's father, "This child must have discovered and studied the strokes. I have recently noticed that his calligraphy has become sophisticated." She concluded that Wang Xizhi must have kept a secret in front of her and concealed the title of the previous generation's Pen Theory. When Wang Xizhi's father went back to ask, it was indeed Wang Xizhi who read On Pen and kept learning, which showed that Wei Shuo was very familiar with the skills and theories of calligraphy. Although Wang Xizhi is better than Lan in shine on you and his calligraphy attainments surpass Wei Shuo's, the traces of Wei Shuo style can still be clearly seen from his calligraphy style.
Wei Shuo is not only famous for his calligraphy for a while, but also has unique views on calligraphy theory. Her book "Pen Diagram" was handed down to later generations. This book is a book that discusses the brushwork, expounds the methods of holding and using pens, and lists seven methods of strokes. In "Pen Diagram", she first put forward the theory of "more strength and more muscle", which is an important opinion. She said: "The words written by those who are good at writing are bony, while those who are not good at writing are fleshy. The word "bony and meaty" is called "Jin Shu", and those who are meaty and meaty can only be called "Ink Pig". A strong and sinewy word is a good word, while a weak and sinewy word is a sick word. This original idea has a great influence on future calligraphers. For example, the words of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan, calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty, were called "tendons and willows", that is, they were praised for their rich bones and tendons. Later, Wang Xizhi wrote an article titled After Mrs. Wei's Pen Diagram, which further expounded Wei Shuo's theory.
Wei Shuo's son, Li Yun, later became a calligrapher under the guidance of his mother. Probably because of years of practicing calligraphy and cultivating one's morality, Wei Shuo lived a long life. She was born in 272 AD, died in 349 AD and lived 78 years.