Yu Shinan's "Yan Lianzhu", regular script, rubbings, selected from "Liu Yuan Collection of Tie Volume 17" (Tie Collection in Yijingtang Collection).
Yu Shinan learned from Zhiyong and received the teachings of the "Two Kings". According to legend, he often lay on his quilt and drew his belly to study calligraphy, and he was very diligent. His "Confucius Temple Stele" can be directly compared with the king's "Praise to Dongfang Shuo Painting" and "Le Yi Lun", and its plumpness is close to that of Chiyong. He is quiet and stoic by nature, and his calligraphy is beautiful and dignified, not just clever, but strong in its gentleness and solidity.
Yu Shinan served as a minor official in the Chen and Sui dynasties, but his position was humble and he was indifferent. Later, when he met Li Shimin, the British leader of the generation, he was able to show his arms. In his old age, the martyr was full of ambition. He was born in troubled times and raised among officials. Social turmoil and a wealthy family made his character diversified. On the one hand, he was practical in order to be prominent at that time, and on the other hand, he was deeply influenced by his family. The long-term influence of Confucian culture made him develop a self-sufficient side and a hatred of evil. The two were harmoniously unified in him. One of his poems "Wing the Cicada" said: "To raise one's voice from afar is not to borrow the autumn phoenix", which is exactly the expression of his mentality of seeking to be heard and spread throughout the world.
Historical records say that Yu Shinan was a Confucian in appearance, but he had a strong will, upright opinions, and the courage to give advice and confront tough situations. One year, when a mountain collapsed in Longyou, he wrote to Li Shimin to rectify the prison and provide relief to the victims. When the great ancestor Li Yuan passed away, Li Shimin originally planned to make a big deal to show the dignity of the royal family. Shinan cited the disadvantages of ancient emperors' thick burials and advocated for a thin burial. Taizong loved hunting in his later years, and Shinan advised him to limit hunting to avoid disturbing the people. And so on and so forth. Li Shimin was a relatively open-minded emperor who could listen to advice. He praised Yu Shinan and said: "All ministers are like Shinan, so why should the world ignore him?" He also said that Shinan had "the five extraordinary qualities of virtue, loyalty, erudition, literary diction, and calligraphy." ", known as "a famous contemporary minister with accurate human ethics".