Although pancakes have a long history, I did not check that Wang Xizhi was inspired by the old lady who baked pancakes and eventually became a calligrapher
Here are some allusions for you< /p>
Anecdotes and allusions
Inscriptions on bamboo fans
It is said that once, Wang Xi's road passed a bridge in Shanyin City (today's Shaoxing). An old woman was selling a basket of hexagonal bamboo fans at the market.
That kind of bamboo fan is very simple and has no decoration. It does not attract the interest of passers-by. It seems that it cannot be sold, and the old woman is very worried. When Wang Xizhi saw this, he sympathized with the old woman and went up to her and said, "You have no paintings or words on this bamboo fan, so of course you can't sell it. How about I inscribe it for you?" The old woman didn't know Wang Xizhi. Seeing how enthusiastic he was, I gave him the bamboo fan to write. Wang Xizhi picked up his pen and wrote five words on each fan, then returned them to the old woman. The old woman was illiterate and felt that his writing was very sloppy and she was very unhappy. Wang Xizhi comforted her and said, "Don't worry. Tell the people who bought the fans that the words on them were written by Wang Youjun." As soon as Wang Xizhi left, the old woman did as he asked. When people at the market saw that it was Wang Youjun's calligraphy, they all rushed to buy it. A basket of bamboo fans was sold out immediately. [14]
The calligraphy sage Wang Xizhi liked geese very much. He believed that raising geese not only cultivates sentiments, but also enables one to learn some calligraphy theories from observing the movements of geese.
The book is exchanged for geese
Once Wang Xizhi went out to play and saw a group of beautiful white geese, so he wanted to buy them. After asking, he learned that these geese were raised by a Taoist priest nearby. So he found the Taoist priest and wanted to discuss buying the geese with him. When the Taoist priest heard that the famous Wang Xizhi wanted to buy it, he said: As long as Wang Youjun can copy a copy of "Huang Ting Jing" for me, I will give him some geese. Wang Xizhi He happily agreed, and this became a good story of a book being exchanged for a white goose. [15]
Cleverly making up Spring Festival couplets
The great calligrapher Wang Xizhi would write Spring Festival couplets by hand and paste them on the door every New Year's Eve. Because his handwriting is known as "the best running script in the world", many people want to know his handwriting but it is rare. So every New Year's Eve, as soon as his Spring Festival couplets are posted, they are secretly taken away before midnight. This year, New Year's Eve came again, and Wang Xizhi still wrote the Spring Festival couplet with the eight words "Blessings come without pairs, misfortunes never come alone", leaving the lower half. People who wanted to steal the couplet saw that these eight characters were too unlucky, so they left disappointed. At the Yin time, Wang Xizhi added the second half, and it became "Unparalleled blessings have come this morning, and misfortunes do not come alone last night." Early the next morning, those who wanted to steal the Spring Festival couplets saw the change in the couplets, and they all marveled and clapped their hands. [16]
Don’t avoid words
Fei Songzhi, Liu Laozhi, Kou Qianzhi, Sima Fuzhi, Sima Liangzhi, Sima Jingzhi, Sima Tanzhi... Wang Xizhi's sons Xuanzhi, Ningzhi, Huizhi, Caozhi and Xianzhi; his grandsons Zhenzhi and Jingzhi. Why don’t the above people avoid family taboos? There is a big secret hidden here, a secret related to Zhang Liang of the Western Han Dynasty. There are 12 people in Wang Xi's generation with the character "Zhi" in their names, 22 children and nephews with the character "Zhi", 12 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, 9 great-great-grandchildren, and 4 fifth-generation grandchildren... Chen Yinke said that the reason why these people do not avoid taboos is Because they are all members of Tianshi Dao, this "Zhi" is a secret code and a badge. Zhang Tianshi, the boss of Tianshi Dao, is the eighth generation grandson of Zhang Liang. [17]
Taoist Love
The calligraphy art of Wang Xizhi, a famous calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, reached the "peak". Investigating the cause,
it has a lot to do with Wang Xizhi's belief in Taoism and the integration of books and Taoism. Taoism, which was born and raised in China, produced Taoist talismans very early. When copying scriptures, they must be copied by scripture students who are skilled in calligraphy. In the process of writing scriptures, they were unknowingly influenced by Taoist culture. Many Taoist scholars in history were famous calligraphers and painters. They cultivated their moral character and cultivated their character. They were proficient in Taoism and could write brushes and ink well. Wang Xizhi is a typical representative in this regard. He integrated Taoism and calligraphy art into each other and complemented each other, thus creating great artistic charm.
Wang Xizhi’s Taoist belief has a profound family background. The Wang family was the most representative cultural gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. From top to bottom, we believe in Huang-Lao theory. "Book of Jin·Volume 80·Biography No. 50" records that the Wang family "does business in the world and is proficient in calligraphy." The "Tao Jing" records that Wang Xizhi's ancestor, Prince Jin, yearned for the immortal spirit and walked freely. The story of reaching the 27th Cave Heaven (one of the 36 Cave Heavens in the Taoist Realm) at Tongbai Mountain in Jinting, the north gate of Tiantai (now Jinting, Shengzhou).
"Qianfu Lun" records: "The descendants of the Yin family, the Wang family, like to cultivate their nature and practice the art of immortality."[19]