The explanations and translations of the 17 posts are as follows:
(1) Yi Min Post
Explaining the text is a good idea. I have been pregnant with Yimin for a long time, so why should I reply to this? It's like a dream! No words to sigh, how can the book know!
In the past, when I took the post of civil history in Huiji, on the whole, I still made achievements. I've wanted to be a hermit for a long time. Why are you still hesitating now?
it's like talking in your sleep! I'm very sorry that I didn't have a chance to meet you. How can I express my mind clearly in the letter?
(2) Long Baotie
Explain that Wen Long Bao is safe, and thank him. See you very late (zhi). My uncle can be heard, and it is even simpler.
Long Bao (the younger generation of Wang Xizhi) and others are safe, thank you. I'd love to meet you. My uncle is ok; It's a long way, so I can only write greetings.
(3) silk cloth post
Interpretation of the text today, go to the silk cloth to pay tribute!
Now I send you a single coat made of silk cloth, just this one, as a token of my appreciation!
? The origin and characteristics of Seventeen Posts
Seventeen Posts is one of Wang Xizhi's representative cursive scripts, which is named after the word "seventeen" at the beginning. The original ink was lost early, and now the Seventeen Sticks handed down from generation to generation is a block print.
Tang Zhangyanyuan recorded the original ink of Seventeen Chapters: "Seventeen Chapters is 1 feet long, that is, it has 17 lines and 943 words. It's a famous post by Xuan He.
Emperor Taizong asked for two king's books, and the king's books had 3, pieces of paper, with the rate of one foot and two feet as a volume, and the traces and words of the books were taken as a volume. "
This post is a set of letters. According to textual research, it was written to his friend Zhou Fu, the secretariat of Yizhou. The writing time lasted for 14 years from the third year of Yonghe to the fifth year of Shengping (347-361 AD), which is an important material for studying Wang Xizhi's life and calligraphy development.
Seventeen Posts is a collection of posts, which is named after the first word "seventeen" in the first post. Every 27 posts, 134 lines, 1166 words. Some of these posts have been handed down from generation to generation by copying ink, such as Yuan Guan Tie and You Mu Tie.
According to the report, Emperor Taizong collected 3, pieces of Wang Shufan's books, with the rate of one foot and two feet as a volume, and Seventeen Posts is one of them.
Tang Zhang Yanyuan's The Book of Dhamma Records says: "Seventeen Postscripts are 1 feet long, which means the book in Zhenguan, with 17 lines and 943 words. It is also a famous post."
this edition is slightly different from today's edition. There are many copies, and the most famous rubbings handed down from generation to generation are the Ming Xing Dong collection, Wen Zhiming Zhu Shi collection, Wu Kuan collection and Jiang Chenying collection.
Tang Cai-xi said in a comprehensive review of the Book of Laws: "The right army in the Jin Dynasty was outstanding, and it was wise to understand the Tao of the times. It was to eliminate the complexity and create a system, which was called new grass. Today, it is also true to pass on the Seventeen Posts."
Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Seventeen Sticks has been regarded as the supreme model for learning cursive script, and it has been regarded as "the dragon image in the book" by calligraphers. Its position in cursive script can be equivalent to the preface to the book of Wang Xizhi in Huairen Collection.
The style of Seventeen Posts is harmonious and elegant, and it is neither exciting nor vigorous. However, the style is far away, and there is absolutely no habit of cursive writing being crazy and angry, which reveals a kind of upright and peaceful atmosphere.
Zhu Xi in the Southern Song Dynasty said, "Play with his brushwork, calmly expand his wealth, but the weather is detached, not tied to the law, not seeking to get rid of the law, and his so-called ones flow out from his own mind."
the lines of the whole post are clear, but the words and potentials between the left and right care for each other; There are occasional ties between words, but they are mainly broken, and the shape is broken and the spirit is continuous. The font size and density are patchy, which is really called "if the shape is broken, it will be straight."