Mrs. Wei, whose given name was Shuo and whose courtesy name was Maoyi (AD 272-349), was a native of Anyi, Hedong (now north of Xia County, Shanxi Province). She was the wife of Li Ju, the prefect of Ruyin, and a famous female calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Wei Guan, the ancestor of the clan, served as Sikong in the Western Jin Dynasty. He recorded the affairs of the ministers. He and Suo Jing were both good at cursive calligraphy. They were known as "Tai Er Miao". The Wei family has been working on calligraphy for generations. Wei Shuo learned from Zhong Yao and passed on his techniques. He is famous for establishing the order of strokes in regular script. Wang Xizhi learned calligraphy from him when he was young, and Mrs. Wei was the first teacher of the "Sage of Calligraphy".
Mrs. Wei's "Recent Blessings"
The eight lines of regular script handed down by Mrs. Wei in "Chunhua Pavilion Tie" and the book review "Bi Zhen Tu" were probably written by good people. There are "Mingji Tie" and "Wei Shihe Nan Tie" handed down from generation to generation. She once wrote poems about cursive calligraphy, and was commissioned to write "Jijiuzhang" for the imperial court. The shape of the characters has changed from Zhong Yao's flat square to a rectangular shape. Several lines are delicate, peaceful, elegant and graceful. The official script has long been gone, indicating that regular script had become mature and common at that time.
"Ancient Name Ji Tie" in small regular script by Mrs. Wei
"Ming Ji Tie" is a stele inscription in regular script written by Mrs. Wei. Its writing style is simple and solemn, and its posture is natural. It is the best in regular script and is known as hairpin small regular script by later generations. Mrs. Wei not only made outstanding achievements in the practice of calligraphy art, but also made significant achievements and relatively comprehensive and in-depth discussions in the theory of calligraphy art. She wrote a volume called "Bi Zhen Tu", which made comprehensive and in-depth reference to relevant calligraphy theories and put forward her own opinions. She first pointed out in the book that the beauty of calligraphy "must begin with the use of a pen."
Hairpin small regular script
Mrs. Wei advocated that learning calligraphy should be traced back to its origins and learn from the ancients. She was opposed to being familiar with the principles and not supporting the learning, which would lead to a waste of energy and no success in learning. Song Chensi's "Short History of Calligraphy" quoted a book review from the Tang Dynasty, saying that her calligraphy is "like a flower-arranging dancer, with a low attitude and beauty; also like a beautiful woman on the stage, a fairy playing shadows, red lotus reflecting water, and green marsh floating clouds." This should not be an exaggerated praise. In this way, her calligraphy has been beautiful for more than 1,600 years and is unforgettable for the world.
Mrs. Wei "Brush Formation Picture"
Mrs. Wei also has an incisive discussion on the pen used when writing different fonts. She believes that there are six ways to use pens, such as seal script for "flying and falling", Zhang Cao for "dangerous and formidable", Bafen script for "graceful entry and exit", and Feibai script for "Gentle and special". , each resembles its own shape", then "this is superb and the calligraphy is complete."
