Why did Jiyong write a thousand-character essay?
Zhiyong, whose surname is Wang, is the seventh-generation grandson of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi. In his early years, he became a monk to avoid disasters. Maybe it's because of genetics. Zhiyong also likes calligraphy, especially the calligraphy of his ancestor Wang Xizhi. He has the intention to inherit the fine calligraphy tradition of the older generation. He studies Wang Xizhi's calligraphy carefully. Zen Master Zhiyong practices calligraphy with abandon. The bald pen-head *** has accumulated ten jars, each jar weighing several hundred kilograms.
Zen Master Zhiyong buried the ten jars of pens, named it "Tuibi Tomb", and wrote and inscribed an inscription for it. This is where the allusion later generations said about "returning a pen and turning it into a tomb" comes from here. Not counting this, later all the jars may have been full, and the used pen had to be thrown into a large bamboo basket (a container similar to a bamboo basket). This kind of bamboo bamboo can each hold one stone of rice, and a bag can be filled with five bamboo pens.
Zen Master Zhiyong practices calligraphy in Yongxin Temple in Wuxing. Countless people come to him to ask for calligraphy or to write plaques, all day long. The threshold of the fasting room where he lived had been stepped on by visitors. When Zhiyong saw it, there was nothing he could do. The wooden threshold could no longer withstand the enthusiasm of the "fans", so he could only have people wrap it with iron sheets. People called him " Iron Threshold".
Poet Fan Cheng's poem says: "Even if there is an iron gate for a thousand years, there will eventually be a soiled bun", which comes from this allusion. Later, Cao Xueqin learned and used it vividly and hid the meaning in "Tiekan Temple" and "Mantou Temple", which became two classic place names in "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Zhiyong practiced calligraphy hard for decades. He wrote more than 800 copies of "Zhencao Qianziwen" and distributed it to monasteries in eastern Zhejiang. It spread widely for a while and became a master of monasteries and among the people. The model of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has become a rare model for future generations to learn from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and has made an indelible contribution to the advancement of the calligraphy art of our ancestors. "Xuanhe Shupu" records that the Imperial Household of the Northern Song Dynasty collected 23 authentic works of Zhiyong, including 15 "Thousand-Character Classics".
He Shaoji of the Qing Dynasty commented on Zhiyong's "Thousand Character Essay" and said: "The pen comes from the air and lives from the air. Although the house has leaks, it is not enough to describe it." We carefully read his ink "Thousand Character Essay", and we can see that he used the pen to hide the head and protect the tail, with twists and turns, implicit and rhythmic interest. What He Shaoji said is accurate and appropriate.