Wang Xizhi's Seventeen Treatises

Author: Compiled by Shanghai Fine Arts Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-08-01
Features: The ancient Chinese term "fatu" refers to nothing more than letters, poems, notes, and literary essays, with no initial intention of calligraphy. Thus, it can spontaneously manifest the natural flow of emotions, with a spirit that transcends constraints, and emerges effortlessly—what is called "seeking no perfection yet achieving it." Wang Xizhi's "Seventeen Pieces of Cursive Script" is the most representative work embodying this characteristic. Wang Xizhi (307–365), styled Yishao, was a native of Langya Linyi. He once served as the Right General and the Administrator of Huji, hence the world also referred to him as "Wang Youjun." He was a renowned calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, known as the "Sage of Calligraphy." In the seventh year of the Yonghe era, he was appointed as the Right General and the Administrator of Huji, serving for four years. In the eleventh year of the Yonghe era, he resigned from office and resided in Shanyin, where he roamed the mountains and waters with other famous scholars, exuding elegance and refinement, with a mind that embraced emptiness and vastness. According to the biography of Wang Xizhi in the Jin Shu, it is said that he passed away at the age of fifty-nine, but the year of his death is not recorded, leading to differing accounts of his birth and death. In his early years, Wang Xizhi studied under Wei Fengfu (Shuo). His uncle, Wang Yi, mastered the calligraphic techniques of Zhong Yao and was also an accomplished calligrapher. Therefore, Wang Xizhi gained fame as a young man. Later, he traveled north and saw inscriptions by Li Si, Cao Xi, Zhong Yao, Liang Huo, and Cai Yong, greatly broadening his horizons. He realized that studying under Wei Fengfu had been a waste of time and, determined to improve, he immersed himself in calligraphy, modifying ancient techniques and creating a new style that combined the rustic beauty of the Han and Wei dynasties with elegant and flowing lines. He emerged as a great master, setting a lasting standard for later generations. Wang Xizhi excelled in small regular script, running script, and cursive script. "Seventeen Pieces of Cursive Script" is a representative work of Wang Xizhi's cursive script. It collects twenty-nine of his letters, mounted as a single scroll, measuring twelve feet in length, with one hundred and seven lines and nine hundred and forty-two characters. It is named "Seventeen Pieces" because the first letter begins with the words "Seventeenth Day." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, loved Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, he issued an edict, using gold and silk from the imperial treasury to extensively seek genuine copies of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, collecting three thousand sheets, which were typically mounted as scrolls of twelve feet in length. Regrettably, almost all of these calligraphic works have been lost to history, leaving no true copies in existence today. "Seventeen Pieces of Cursive Script" was first copied and printed in the early Tang Dynasty, serving as a model for students of the Hongwen Academy to practice calligraphy. Later, it was re-engraved based on these copies. The two best-known copies of "Seventeen Pieces" in circulation today are: one, which has the character "Zheng" at the end of the scroll, was engraved by Jie Yuanwei of the Tang Hongwen Academy and corrected by Chu Suiliang, known as the "Academy Copy" or the "Zheng-character Copy." This copy is a Tang Dynasty printing, with a lengthy postscript by Zhang Zhengmeng at the end, considered the finest printing of "Seventeen Pieces." The other is a copy by He Zhizhang, which was later engraved by Li Houzhu of the Southern Tang Dynasty into the Clearest Clarity Ascending collection. The Chunhua Gallery engraved by Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty in the third year of the Chunhua era also includes parts that were copied from this version. After the Song Dynasty, "Seventeen Pieces" was repeatedly copied and engraved, and the current edition uses the "Zheng-character Copy," now preserved in the Shanghai Library. "Wang Xizhi's Seventeen Pieces of Cursive Script" belongs to the category of modern cursive script, with precise brushwork, combining both square and round strokes, and balanced yet unconventional character structures. Although he had lost the "wave" strokes characteristic of Zhangcao script, each character remains distinct, yet the vertical and horizontal lines suggest a sense of connection. The profound and harmonious spirit of his calligraphy transcends the ink and paper. It can be said that it is the best model for learning cursive script. Zhu Xi once remarked: "In 'Seventeen Pieces,' one can appreciate the brushwork, which is (calm and expansive) yet (transcendent), not bound by rules yet not deliberately breaking them—truly flowing from the calligrapher's own heart. I suspect that even calligraphers, though aware of its beauty, may not fully understand the reasons behind it." Of course, to study the cursive script of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, one must also refer to the calligraphic works of the Wei and Jin dynasties (such as Lu Ji's Pingfu) for deeper research. Wang Xizhi's cursive script remains close to ancient styles, with each stroke possessing a sense of texture, as Zhang Zhengmeng noted in his postscript to "Seventeen Pieces": "The brushwork is ancient and rustic, yet it retains the essence of seal and clerical scripts." In this way, one may perhaps glimpse the brilliance of the calligraphic works of the Jin Dynasty. Now, the "Zheng-character Copy" preserved in the Shanghai Library has been published as a facsimile, accompanied by annotations, to delight a broad readership.