1. Digging graves to steal art
Zhong Yao was born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was very dedicated and enthusiastic about the study of calligraphy, almost to the point of madness. It is said that he once studied in Baodu Mountain. In order to practice calligraphy well, he wrote all the rocks and trees in the mountain black. Once, he was discussing calligraphy brushes with Cao Cao, Wei Dan and others. He was so interested that he kept copying the drawings before going to bed, and even cut several holes in the quilt.
Wei Dan was also a calligrapher at that time. It is said that he had the "Bi Lun" written by Cai Yong, a great calligrapher of the Eastern Han Dynasty, so his calligraphy level was very high. People at that time praised his calligraphy and considered it The first calligrapher of his time.
Zhong Yao wanted to borrow this "Bi Lun" from Wei Dan, but Wei Dan refused and refused again and again. Zhong Yao was so angry that he beat his chest and vomited blood. Fortunately, Cao Cao saved him with the Five Spirit Pills. life. After Wei Dan passed away, Zhong Yao sent someone to dig out the book from the grave, studied it repeatedly, and finally understood the secret of using the pen.
2. Tang Taizong practiced calligraphy
Tang Taizong Li Shimin was an emperor in my country's feudal society. He often devoted himself to practicing calligraphy in his free time when dealing with political affairs. At that time, Yu Shinan, who was known as one of the four great calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, was working in the palace. Because he was proficient in ancient and modern times, and his calligraphy skills were astonishing, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty always respected him and often copied and studied Yu Shinan's calligraphy.
In the process of practicing calligraphy, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty deeply felt that the word "ge" in Yu Shinan's font was the most difficult to write, and it was not easy to write the spirit in it. Once, when he was practicing "Jian", he was afraid that he would lose face if he could not write it well, so that the ministers would not laugh at it, so he deliberately left the word "ge" blank and privately asked Yu Shinan to fill it in.
In order to show that he had made progress in calligraphy, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty took several works to Wei Zheng, the admonishing official, and asked Wei Zheng for his opinion: "Do you think my calligraphy looks like that of Bachelor Yu Shinan?" Words?" Wei Zheng looked at it carefully and respectfully, smiling the whole time. At this time, Tang Taizong asked him anxiously: "Is it similar or not? Why don't you say anything?
" Wei Zheng said quickly: "I dare not comment on your majesty's calligraphy." Tang Taizong said "It's okay for you to speak frankly. I forgive you." At this time, Wei Zhengcai said: "According to my opinion, only the 'ge' on the right half of the word '戬' is the same as what Yu Xueshi wrote, and the rest are all the same." It's very good luck to meet each other."
After hearing these words, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty sighed and deeply admired Wei Zheng's vision. He also realized that learning calligraphy must not be false at all. If you want to succeed in learning, you must work hard.
3. Liu Gongquan worked hard to practice calligraphy
One day, Liu Gongquan and several friends held a "book meeting". At this time, an old man selling tofu saw the words he wrote: "I can write about Feifeng family and I dare to praise it in front of others." He felt that the child was too proud, so he frowned and said, "These words are not well written." Okay, it's like my tofu, it's soft and has no bones or muscles. Is it still worthy of being praised in front of others?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Gongquan said unhappily: "If you have the ability, write a few words for me to read. Look."
The old man smiled heartily and said, "I don't dare, I don't dare. I'm a rough man and can't write well. But there are people who can write better than you with their feet. There are so many! If you don’t believe it, go to Huajing City and have a look.” The next day, Xiao Gongquan got up early and went to Huajing City alone. As soon as he entered Huajing City, he saw many people gathered under a big locust tree.
He squeezed into the crowd and saw a thin, black old man with no beard and arms, sitting on the ground with bare feet, his left foot pressing paper, and his right foot holding a pen. He was writing couplets freely and freely. The handwriting is like a group of horses galloping, dragons and phoenixes dancing, winning bursts of applause from the onlookers.
4. Famous calligraphy for earning money
Huang Daozhou was a famous calligrapher in the late Ming Dynasty, and his integrity has been praised by people throughout the ages. Legend has it that there was a Huang Wu in Zhangzhou who was notorious. Once he wanted to ask Huang Daozhou to inscribe a plaque for his newly built "Shanggong Ancestral Temple". Zodiac Zhou was disgusted and resigned.
Huang Wu bribed Huang Daozhou's maid, promising her "if she gets a word, she will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold." The maid deliberately practiced calligraphy in front of Huang Daozhou, and Huang Daozhou saw that she couldn't write the word "temple" well. Well, I wrote one for her to copy, and then the maid secretly sent the word "Temple" to receive the reward.
A few days later, he followed the same pattern and got the word "ancestor". Another day when he was practicing the word "上", Huang Daozhou thought about it and suddenly realized it, so he fired the maid. The maid had no choice but to secretly impersonate Huang Daozhou's calligraphy and write the character "上" and hand it over to punish her. As a result, the finished plaque "Shanggong Ancestral Temple" was very awkward.
5. Kangxi studied calligraphy
Kangxi’s mother was very interested in calligraphy. She especially liked some copybooks by Zhao Han, a great calligrapher at that time, so she asked Kangxi to learn calligraphy. Kangxi also enjoyed it. After studying for a period of time, Kangxi felt that he was almost ready, so he tried to write on the streets. One day, as a scholar, he went to Zhouzhi County for a private visit. He spread out paper on the street and wrote: "The orioles return and the swallows go away quietly, and the spring and autumn come and go without knowing the year."
Due to negligence, he lost the word "ran" in the upper part of the word quietly. However, he was still overjoyed and said to himself: "I heard that there was a Zhao Han in Zhouzhi who wrote the character Zhao well. Look at me. Who is better than Zhao Han?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man took up his pen and added a little bit to the word "ran". This little bit was impartial and just right. Kangxi was surprised when he saw this and asked: "Excuse me, old gentleman?"
Someone in the crowd said: "He is our thoughtful Zhao Han!" Hearing that it was Zhao Han, Kangxi immediately invited him to the restaurant for a banquet. Then he asked for calligraphy lessons. Zhao Han was also polite. From writing to layout, from speculation to drafting, he spoke clearly and logically. Kangxi was fascinated by what he heard and couldn't help but marvel: "Sir, he has profound attainments, and his words of instruction should be regarded as training.
" When they broke up, Kangxi revealed his identity and invited Zhao Han to come to Beijing to proclaim himself a minister. . When Zhao Han heard that the emperor had arrived, he was so frightened that he kowtowed: "Long live Mingjian, forgive me for being rude!"
Kangxi returned to Beijing from a private visit and wanted to test his mother's eye for calligraphy, so he went to Zhouzhi Street Show her the words written on it. The mother picked up the calligraphy and looked at it for a while, then said: "Kangxi has been learning calligraphy for decades, but he only looks a little like Zhao Han." She pointed out to Kangxi the little bit added by Zhao Han. After hearing this, Kangxi respected his mother even more, and from then on he strengthened his determination to learn Zhao Han's calligraphy.