Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Calligrapher and Writer

Wang Xizhi 羲之

Xizhi

Attested AD 346

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Xizhi was a Calligrapher and Writer.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 346 永和二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 80, passages 314, 317

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Elder brother of Wang Xianzhi (兄)
elder brother 兄
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 80, passages 297-298
Parent of Wang Xianzhi (獻之)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passage 298

Places and affiliations

Polity Id eastern-jin · Relation Associated with
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 80, passage 298

Learning and skills

Skill cursive and clerical script 草隸 · Level unmatched
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passage 298

Works and attributed material

biography of Xu Mai 傳
Relation Author · With Xu Mai (許邁)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passage 319

Events and relationships

Visited Xu Mai
Social · Visitor · With Xu Mai (許邁)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passage 317
Relation Friend of · Person Xu Mai (許邁) · beyond-the-world friendship
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passages 300, 317

Assessments and attributes

Assessment unmatched-in-cursive-and-clerical · Mode named-source-report Source Work contemporary critics
Directly stated · Book of Jin 80, passage 298

References in the histories

Book of Jin, Chapter 80Volume 80 Biographies 50: Wang Xizhi · 5 passages

時議者以為羲之草隸，江左中朝莫有及者，獻之骨力遠不及父，而頗有媚趣。 Critics held that in cursive and clerical script Wang Xizhi had no rival south of the Yangzi or at the old capital; Xianzhi's stroke lacked his father's vigor but showed a seductive charm of its own.

始羲之所與共游者許邁。 Among those with whom Wang Xizhi first roamed the hills was Xu Mai.

羲之造之，未嘗不彌日忘歸，相與為世外之交。 Whenever Wang Xizhi visited, the two would talk the whole day through; they were friends outside the common world.

玄遺羲之書云：「自山陰南至臨安，多有金堂玉室，仙人芝草，左元放之徒，漢末諸得道者皆在焉。」 Xuan wrote to Wang Xizhi: "South from Shanyin to Lin'an lie halls of gold and chambers of jade, spirit herbs, and the company of Zuo Ci—all who attained the Way at the end of the Han are there."

羲之自為之傳，述靈異之跡甚多，不可詳記。 Wang Xizhi himself composed his biography, recording marvels too numerous to set down in full.