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The ancients said: "Without emotion, one cannot write." The ancient and unique Chinese calligraphy art pays special attention to the expression of emotions, whether it is worry, thought, sadness, fear, joy, anger... It is precisely because of the collision of emotion and reason that "the momentum cannot be stopped when it comes, and it cannot be stopped when it goes away" that calligraphy art has a fascinating, captivating and alluring charm. Here are the seven most emotional calligraphy works in the history of calligraphy. Let's learn about the emotional stories behind them!

01

Confession

Wang Xianzhi's "Feng Dui Tie"

Explanation: Although we have been together for many years, we can enjoy each other all day long. I always feel sad that I can't enjoy the same things as before. I just want to live with you as long as we did in the past and grow old together. Who would have thought that we would be separated like this? I am so sad and depressed. How can I see you every day? I am so sad that I can't stop crying. I will die soon.

The "Feng Dui Tie" by the great calligrapher Wang Xianzhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty makes people feel emotional when reading it: Princess Xin'an Sima Daofu was the sister of Sima Yu, the Emperor Jianwen of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. She was originally married to Huan Ji, the son of Huan Wen. Later, Huan Ji tried to usurp the military power but failed and was demoted. The princess divorced Huan Ji and begged her brother to marry Wang Xianzhi, whom she had long admired. At this time, Wang Xianzhi had married his cousin Xi Daomao. Xi and Xian were childhood sweethearts and were in love with each other.

Tang Yin's "Wang Xianzhi's Remarriage with Xi Daomao and Princess Xin'an"

Wang Xianzhi didn't know that the beautiful and unruly princess had been secretly in love with him for a long time. Emperor Jianwen later found Xianzhi and conveyed the princess's love. Xianzhi couldn't resist, but didn't want to abandon his wife, so he burned his feet with mugwort and claimed that he was disabled and couldn't marry the princess. The princess really liked Xianzhi and said that she didn't care about anything and would marry him in this life. The poor girl from the Xi family had to leave the Wang family and died of depression soon after. Xianzhi was sad and guilty. When he was seriously ill and dying, someone asked him what he had gained and lost in his life. He said: "I don't think there are other things, but I remember divorcing the Xi family." It is recorded in "A New Account of the Tales of the World·Virtue".

02

Grief and indignation

Yan Zhenqing's "Eulogy for My Nephew"

Yan Zhenqing's "Sacrificial Essay for My Nephew" in cursive script 28.2×72.3cm

Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

Explanation: In the first year of the Qianyuan Period, the year of Wuxu, the ninth month, the first day of Gengwu, the third day of Renshen, the thirteenth day (from the father, the big characters are erased). My uncle Yinqing Guanglu (big characters are omitted) was sent to hold the imperial seal to command the military forces of Puzhou. The governor of Puzhou. The commander of the Qingche. The founding Marquis Zhenqing of Danyang County. With clear wine and various delicacies, I offer sacrifices to the spirit of my late nephew, the great official of Zanshan, Ji Ming, saying, “You were born with outstanding character. You have shown your virtue since childhood. You are decorated with coral and jade in the ancestral temples. You are decorated with orchids and jade in the steps and courtyards. (You rely on your accumulated good deeds and erase them.) You always comfort people’s hearts. You are looking forward to the harvest. How could you have thought that the rebels would start a quarrel. You would use your troops to attack the obedient. Your father was sincere. (□ is erased, changed to be forced and erased again). Changshan was made a county. At that time, I was appointed. I was also in Pingyuan. My dear brother loves me. (I am afraid of being erased.) So that you can spread the word. After you return, I will open the Tumen. The Tumen has been opened. The evil power is greatly weakened. (The traitorous ministers gathered the people and did not rescue. The traitorous ministers did not (support and remove) rescue. The isolated city was besieged. The father (captured and removed). The son died. The nest was overturned and the eggs were overturned. Heaven does not regret the disaster. Who is the one who harmed you? Thinking of your suffering. How can a hundred lives redeem you? Alas, how sad. I received the grace of heaven. I moved my herds to Heguan. (Hedong is near the cross). Quanming (your cross) was captured again in Changshan. (Take up and remove). I carried your head and returned with you. (Also from Changshan). I miss you deeply. I am shocked and sad. I will wait for a distant day. (Two words are crossed out and cannot be distinguished). Divination (another word is crossed out and cannot be distinguished). Your secluded house. (Touch and remove). If your soul is aware, I will not lament that you have been away for a long time. Alas, how sad it is that you are still full.

The Memorial to My Nephew, also known as the Memorial to My Nephew Ji Ming, was written by Yan Zhenqing when he was 50 years old. This memorial recounts how the father and son of Changshan prefect Yan Gaoqing stood up and resolutely resisted An Lushan's rebellion, resulting in "the father being trapped and the son dying, the nest being overturned and the eggs being overturned", and how they died for justice.

Ji Ming was the third son of Gao Qing and the cousin of Zhen Qing. When his father and Zhen Qing jointly fought against the rebellion of An Lushan, he traveled back and forth between Changshan and Pingyuan to deliver messages, linking the two counties and making them loyal to the royal family. After Changshan County fell, Ji Ming was killed and only his head remained when he was buried. When Yan Zhenqing picked up his pen to write, he was filled with grief and indignation, and he could not help but finish this manuscript in one go.

This work was not originally written as a calligraphy work. Due to the extreme grief and anger, the emotions were difficult to calm down, and there were many mistakes and occasional smudges. But because of this, the calligraphy is solemn and austere, yet lively, with round and magnificent strokes and a variety of postures. It is written purely with the spirit and the beauty of nature. The whole piece is full of ups and downs, sometimes depressed and painful, with tears and sobs; sometimes low and suppressed, with deep pain, it can be called a heart-wrenching work of grief and anger.

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03

Adoration

Du Mu's "Poems and Preface by Zhang Haohao"

This scroll is the only surviving work of Tang Dynasty poet and calligrapher Du Mu. Zhang Haohao was a courtesan with a beautiful face and outstanding talent. Du Mu wrote this five-character long poem for her.

"Poems of Zhang Haohao" scroll, Tang Dynasty, written by Du Mu, on paper, running script. 28.2cm in height, 162cm in width. Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Explanation: Poems and preface by Zhang Haohao. In the third year of Dahe, I assisted Mr. Shen, the former Minister of Personnel, in his Jiangxi camp. When Haohao was thirteen, she began to sing and dance well in the music court. One year later, the governor was stationed in Xuancheng, and Haohao was placed in the Xuancheng court again. Two years later, Shen Zhushushushi married her with two maids. Two years later, I saw Haohao again in the east city of Luoyang, and was moved by the old days, so I wrote a poem to give to her. You are a beautiful girl from Yuzhang, and you are only thirteen years old. The green phoenix grows its tail, and the red face and lotus contain the tarsus. The high pavilion leans against the sky, and the clear river connects to the blue sky. Here I will test your singing, and I have specially arranged a feast. The lord looked around the four seats, and was surprised that you were hesitant. Wu Wa stood up to sing praises, and her long skirts lingered. The two maids can be raised and lowered, and they just passed the blue silk blouse. Pan Pan was sleeveless, and a sound of leaving the phoenix was heard. The complex strings burst through the knots, and the pipes were blocked to lead the round reeds. The many sounds could not chase, and the sound was curling through the clouds. The lord sighed again and again, saying that it was unique in the world. He gave her a Tianma brocade and a water rhinoceros comb. I watched the autumn waves at Longsha, and the bright moon floated on the East Lake. Since then, every time we met, we felt that we had not seen each other for three days. The jade quality became more and more beautiful with the full moon, and the beauty became more and more beautiful with the spring. The red lips became lighter and lighter, and the cloud-like steps became more and more slow. The flags and banners suddenly went down to the east, and the music followed the boats. The frost withered the trees in the tower, and the sand was warm in the stream. I was content with the dust outside, and I was happy in front of the wine. I gathered the immortal guests (the author was appointed as the editor of Jixian), and satirized Xiangru for his poems. I hired him a jade pendant and carried him in a purple cloud carriage. The sound of water was far away in the quiet cave, and the shadow of the moon was lonely in the high moon. Not many years have passed since then, and all the disciples in Gaoyang have left. We met again in Luoyang, and he was the stove. Why do you blame me for my suffering? I have a white beard when I was young. Are my friends still here? How can I be free? After crying bitterly at the gate, the water and clouds began to look sad. The slanting sun hangs over the withered willows, and the cool breeze blows through the seat.

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Du Mu and the famous Huzhou prostitute Zhang Haohao met at the residence of Shen Chuanshi in Nanchang. At that time, Du Mu had not yet married and was romantic and suave, while Zhang Haohao was beautiful and intelligent, and was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. The two often met at banquets. Zhang Haohao admired Du Mu's talent, and Du Mu fell in love with Zhang Haohao's beauty and art. They went boating in the lake, holding hands at sunset, and the talented man and the beautiful woman were infinitely beautiful. But what people didn't expect was that Shen Chuanshi's younger brother also fell in love with Zhang Haohao and soon took her as a concubine. As a prostitute in Shen Chuanshi's family, Zhang Haohao had no power to control her own destiny. Du Mu also had a low official position, so he had to admit that they were in vain and left each other.

A few years later, Du Mu and Zhang Haohao met in a wine shop in the east of Luoyang. Haohao was selling wine. Things had changed and people had changed. Du Mu was very sad and wrote this poem. Later, Du Mu died of depression in Chang'an. Zhang Haohao was heartbroken when she heard about it. She hid it from her family and went to Chang'an to pay tribute. Thinking of the sorrow of love and separation, she committed suicide in front of Du Mu's grave.

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The value of Du Mu's "Zhang Haohao Poem" lies in the fact that it is a manuscript, a daily writing. We can see the clues of the author's brushwork from the author's inadvertent flaws in the use of the brush. From this point of view, this work is far more authentic and credible in the study of calligraphy than those indirect inscriptions and copies. Almost every stroke in the calligraphy is completed by turning the pen, and various perfect, deformed, and incomplete twisting brushworks are dancing freely, with continuous momentum and smooth ink and brushwork. Because it is a manuscript of poetry, it has a simple and unpretentious beauty.

04

Melancholy

Su Shi's "Huangzhou Cold Food Post"

Explanation:

It has been three cold food festivals since I came to Huangzhou.

I want to cherish spring every year, but I can't let it go

This year, the rain is heavy and the autumn is bleak

Lying down and smelling the crabapple blossoms, the muddy Yanzhi snow

I secretly carry you to midnight, so powerful

What is the difference between a young man and a woman?

The spring river is about to flow into the house, and the rain is coming

The hut is like a fishing boat in the misty water and clouds

Cooking cold vegetables in an empty kitchen, burning wet reeds on a broken stove

Who knew it was the Cold Food Festival? I saw a crow carrying paper

The emperor's gate is nine layers deep and the tomb is thousands of miles away

I also want to cry and die of poverty, but I can't even blow the ashes

In February of the third year of Yuanfeng (1080), when Su Shi was 45 years old, he was excluded by the New Party because of the "Wudai Poetry Case", the largest literary inquisition in the Song Dynasty. He was demoted to Huangzhou (now Huanggang, Hubei) as a deputy envoy of the militia. He felt lonely, frustrated, and poor in life. The calligraphy of this poem was inspired by this mood and situation.

Su Shi

Huangzhou Cold Food Poems is the best among Su Shi's calligraphy works. It has a great influence in the history of calligraphy and is full of ups and downs of emotions. Xian Yushu of the Yuan Dynasty called it "the third best running script in the world" after Wang Xizhi's Lanting Preface and Yan Zhenqing's Sacrifice to My Nephew. The whole calligraphy is ups and downs, brilliant, and unrestrained, without any rough strokes.

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05

Admiration

Zhao Mengfu's "Thirteen Postscripts to Lanting"

The first engraved edition of Zhao Mengfu's "Lanting Thirteen Postscripts"

In the third year of the Yuan Dynasty, that is, in 1310 AD, Zhao Mengfu was 57 years old. In September of that year, Zhao Mengfu was ordered to sail north from Wuxing (now Huzhou, Zhejiang) to Dadu (now Beijing). When the boat arrived in Nanxun, Zhejiang, Elder Dugu, who was seeing Zhao off, took out a copy of the Song Dynasty Dingwu Lanting. Zhao couldn't let it go, so he "begged" it from Elder Dugu and took it to Dadu. Wu Sen, who was on the same boat, also brought a copy of the Dingwu Lanting. Zhao Mengfu spent more than a month on the boat on this trip north. He had nothing to do during the journey, so he was able to enjoy two copies of the Dingwu Lanting. He also read and practiced the "Dugu copy" from time to time, and had a lot of experience. From September 5th to October 7th, he wrote thirteen postscripts, which later generations called "Thirteen Postscripts to the Preface to the Lanting".

A fragment of Zhao Mengfu's "Lanting Preface Thirteen Postscripts" (selected pages):

The "Thirteen Postscripts to the Lanting Pavilion" is not only a rare work among Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy, but also contains profound insights on his calligraphy theory ("There are two aspects of calligraphy learning: one is brushwork, and the other is character shape. If the brushwork is not refined, even if it is good, it is still bad; if the character shape is not wonderful, even if it is familiar, it is still fresh. Only when you understand this when learning calligraphy can you talk about calligraphy.") It is worth careful study by those who learn calligraphy. Therefore, in terms of understanding Zhao Mengfu's view on calligraphy, the "Thirteen Postscripts to the Lanting Pavilion" has also become an extremely important calligraphy theory.

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First Epilogue:

Since the Dingwu stone carving① was lost, there are only a few copies of Lanting Tie in the world. Some are decreasing day by day, but not increasing day by day, so scholars who are knowledgeable about antiquity regard it as a treasure. However, it is extremely difficult to distinguish. There are also copies with five characters intact. The original copy with five characters intact is even more rare. This is the damaged copy. Elder Dugu② sent me north and took it with him. When I arrived at the north of Nanxun, he showed it to me. I begged for it from Dugu and brought it to the capital. When I returned one day, I would have a close relationship with Dugu in calligraphy. On September 5, the third year of Zhida, I wrote this in the boat. Dugu's name was Chunpeng, and he was from Tiantai.

Second Epilogue:

Before the Song Dynasty moved south, every scholar and official had a copy of Lanting Tie. After the stone carvings were lost, the enthusiasts in Jiangzuo often carved a stone, and there were no more than dozens or hundreds of copies. It was difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. Wang Shunbo①, You Yanzhi② and other gentlemen were the most discerning. They were not wrong in the color of ink, the color of paper, the thickness and thinness of the characters. Therefore, Zhu Huiweng③ wrote in the postscript of Lanting: "Not only did they discuss the etiquette like a lawsuit④", which was probably a joke. However, since there are so many copies, it is not easy to determine which one is the best. This scroll is a good copy, with five characters damaged, and the thickness and thinness are just right. It is no different from the Zhao Zigu copy collected by Wang Ziqing⑤, and it is the most precious among the stone copies. September 16, the third year of Zhida. Re-inscribed on the boat to Baoying. Ziang.

The third postscript:

Lanting is indeed something that should not be ignored. Ink manuscripts are becoming less and less in the world, and it is difficult to recognize the real thing. If someone knows it and keeps it, it is a treasure. On the 18th, I was on a boat in Qinghe.

Fourth Epilogue:

The sound of the river is like a roar, holding my breath all day. If I don’t have this scroll to play with from time to time, how can I pass the time? I open and close the scroll dozens of times a day. I gain a lot. Written in the north of Pizhou on the 22nd.

Fifth Epilogue:

In the past, people could get a few lines of ancient inscriptions and study them attentively, and they could become famous. Moreover, Lanting is the masterpiece of Youjun①. If you keep studying it, why worry about not being better than others? I heard that the monk (named Zhengwu, nicknamed Dongping②) of the Northern Zen Master in Wuzhong has a Dingwu Lanting, which was collected by his teacher Huiyanzhao. It is not allowed to borrow it from him. Once I got it, I was overjoyed. Duguzhi and Dongping, what is the difference between good and bad? I will pass by Luliang on the 23rd and moor the boat to write this.

Epilogue 6:

Learning calligraphy is to appreciate the ancients' calligraphy and understand their intentions in writing. This is beneficial. Youjun's Lanting is a work of art that has been put back to the old ways. He used the style according to the situation and achieved his goal. This is why it is so divine. I stayed in Pei County last night. I stopped writing after breakfast on the 26th.

Epilogue 7:

Calligraphy is all about the use of the brush, and the formation of characters also requires effort. The formation of characters is passed down from generation to generation, but the use of the brush has remained unchanged for thousands of years. The ancient style of the Right Army’s characters has changed, and its majestic and beautiful spirit comes from nature, so it is used as a model by ancient and modern people. The characters of the people in the Qi and Liang dynasties were not ancient, but lacked elegance. This also depends on the person, but the ancient method must not be lost. Written on the 28th at Nandaizha, Jeju.

Epilogue 8:

On the 29th, I arrived at Jeju. I met Zhou Jingyuan, who had just been appointed as the Supervisory Censor of the Xingtai Office and had come down from the capital. We drank wine at the post station. Many people came to ask Jingyuan to write on paper, and there were also many people asking for my other books. It was really hard to handle. I hurriedly boarded the boat and cast off the anchor, and then I was able to rest. That evening, I arrived 30 miles north of Jeju. I unfolded this scroll again and wrote this inscription.

Ninth Epilogue:

Dongpo wrote in his poem: "How many people in the world learn from Du Fu? Who can get his skin and bones?" The same is true for those who learn from Lanting. Huang Taishi also said: "People only learn from Lanting's appearance, but there is no elixir to change ordinary bones." This meaning is not unknown to those who learn calligraphy. October 1st.

Postscript 10:

Generally speaking, even if the stone carvings are the same, the ink bases are always different, because the paper has different thickness, coarseness, fineness, dryness and wetness, the ink has different density, and the ink used has different weights, and the thickness, thinness, lightness and darkness of the carvings follow, so it is difficult to distinguish the Lanting. However, those who really understand calligraphy will know it at a glance, and it is not about thickness, thinness, lightness and darkness. October 2nd, I passed by Anshan Beishou Zhang.

Postscript 11:

Youjun's character is very high, so his calligraphy is divine. A slave, a child of the time, learns to hold a pen in the morning, and boasts of his ability in the evening. Vulgarity is contemptible, contemptible. I moored my boat at Hubei for three days, waiting for the sluice gate to open, and then I wrote.

Epilogue No. 12:

I have been travelling north for thirty-two days. It is autumn and winter and there are many southerly winds. The boat window is sunny and warm. I can see the Lanting Pavilion from time to time. It is a joy. Written on the seventh day.

Postscript 13:

The Lanting and Bingshe Tie are extremely similar.

06

Ecstasy

Mi Fu's "Shanhu Tie"

Mi Fu's Shanhu Tie, Palace Museum, Beijing

Shanhu Tie is a piece of cursive-script paper-based letter written by Mi Fu, measuring 26.6 cm in height and 47.1 cm in width. It is about boasting about his collection to others. It can be divided into three parts.

In the first part, I briefly record the three new collections I received:

1. "I have collected Zhang Sengyou's "Heavenly Kings", which has an inscription by Xue Ji, and was owned by Yan Liben. I got it from Mr. Le at Yuanzhi." The "Heavenly Kings" painted by Zhang Sengyou, a great painter of the Liang Dynasty, has an inscription by Xue Ji, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. It was also an old collection of Prime Minister Yan Liben, and can be said to be a famous product. I bought it from Mr. Le at the original price, and it was not expensive. How proud I am!

2. "I also collected Jingwen's "Questions on Rites", which is also a painting from the Six Dynasties." Xie Jingwen came from a family of scholars, and three generations of scholars were scholars. He was an official of the Ministry of Rites, a university scholar of Baowen Pavilion, and the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture. Although the author of the "Confucius Asking Laozi about Rites" in his old collection is unknown, it is a Six Dynasties painting, and it is rare because it was created by a famous family.

3. "A branch of coral." Corals grow on the seabed. It was extremely difficult for ancient people to get one without diving equipment, so they were expensive and rare, and not comparable to ordinary treasures. Mi Fu mentioned corals here, and deliberately enlarged the font size, making it very eye-catching, which shows how much he valued this thing.

Mi Fu

In the second part, he sketched the coral branch, which turned out to be a "trident"-shaped coral pen holder! Mi Fu also added the words "golden seat" next to the base of the pen holder. It can be imagined that the bright red coral inserted on the bright and dazzling golden seat is a magnificent color combination.

The third part, the painting is not enough, and a poem is written for the coral pen holder: "Three branches of red grass come out of Jinsha, from the family of Tianzhi Jiexiang. On that day, I was blessed with a list of names, and I am ashamed that I don't have five-color pen flowers." The first sentence describes the object, and the second sentence tells its origin. "Tianzhi" means the royal family. "Jiexiang" is the combined name of "Jiedushi" and "Shixiang", referring to the local Jiedushi who holds the title equivalent to the prime minister in the central government, belonging to the class of high-ranking and powerful people. The coral pen holder in the old collection of the Dazhaimen is of superior quality. Therefore, Mi Fu is ashamed of his lack of talent in the third and fourth sentences of the poem, and his clumsy pen is not worthy of such a treasure. "Mingbiao Langguan" is another name for Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites in the Song Dynasty. Mi Fu once held this position and participated in the secretarial work of the court, so he said "On that day, I was blessed with a list of names". "Five-color pen flowers" refers to the outstanding literary talent of Jiang Yan in the Southern Dynasty "Dream of a pen blooming". The author's "self-modest" technique further highlights the nobility of the coral pen holder.

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From the perspective of calligraphy, Shanhu Tie is also a representative masterpiece of Mi Fu in his middle age. Its brushstrokes are unrestrained, its strokes are flexible, its characters are varied, and its layout is casual, but it does not lose the traditional rules at all, and it truly reaches the realm of "no intention to be good is good" and "follow your heart's desire without going beyond the rules". Of course, the important documentary value of this post for the study of the history of Chinese art collection is also self-evident. The person, the object, the book, and the painting are four in one. The small Shanhu Tie carries too much cultural information and deserves to be called a "national treasure".

07

Sadness

Wang Xianzhi's "Bu Wei Tie"

Explanation: Xianzhi said: I didn't expect that Poyang was the only gate, and it was so difficult that I had to come here. I am more and more sad and regretful, and I can't help myself. Zheng sat and watched it all go to waste, which made people sad. I am grateful that Zigao is here, otherwise, nothing can be accomplished. Xianzhi.

The general meaning of the post is: I never thought that a branch of my family in Poyang would be in such a difficult situation. Thinking back, I feel so sad that I can't bear it. I watched them die, which made me extremely sad. It's because of your noble presence here, otherwise this letter would not be completed.

This letter was to express the great sorrow caused by the misfortune of the other party's family. It was not to mourn the death of others. Therefore, the words used were extremely sad, and he repeatedly expressed his inner grief.

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Calligraphy transforms the thoughts and emotions hidden in a person's body and mind into a crystal that is tangible, colorful, rhythmic, rhymed, vivid, and artistically impactful.

Famous calligraphers of all ages have inadvertently vented and expressed their emotions, revealed and displayed their personalities in their calligraphy works, and naturally integrated the basic rules of calligraphy with their own temperaments, making the modeling style and spiritual connotation of calligraphy reach a sublime beauty!

World Art Selection