The Inscription Stele of the Sweet Spring in the Jiucheng Palace
Author: Ouyang Xun of the Tang Dynasty
贞观六年，魏征撰，欧阳询书，《九成宫醴泉铭》成。碑工名不可考。是篇载述九成宫之兴建及其雄伟;颂唐太宗之武略与文治，其节俭亦。又述宫中醴泉之发现，引典籍以证醴泉之涌，皆因天子之德。末以“居高思坠，持满戒盈”之言劝世之。
欧阳询，字信本，潭州临湘人也。唐之大臣、书法家也。隋炀帝之时，任太常博士。武德三年，归窦建德之旗下，授太常卿。武德五年，降唐，拜侍中，历迁银青光禄大夫、给事中、太子率更令、弘文馆学士，封渤海县男，主编《艺文类聚》。贞观十五年卒，年八十五。
欧阳询书法精通，与虞世南、褚遂良、薛稷并称“初唐四大家”，与欧阳通合称“大小欧”。其书法，平中见险，号“欧体”。《九成宫醴泉铭》，欧氏晚年之作，结体修长，中宫紧收，四隅展张，左敛右纵，化险为夷。字形依势赋形，左右对立，上窄下宽，间架宏阔，气势庄严。布白匀整，字距行距，宽敞明朗，为九宫之冠，全碑气脉贯通，风骨高雅。历代学者崇尚，视为楷模之极，后人誉之为“天下第一楷书”。
立碑未久，即为拓者所捧，拓本难得。岁月悠悠，拓者络绎，碑文因之损毁。年深日久，风化拓刻，原貌渐失，笔锋尽敛。今碑破损，碑首碑身合一，存于陕西麟游县博物馆。
In the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, authored by Wei Zheng and inscribed by Ouyang Xun, the "Inscription of the Jiucheng Palace Liquan Spring" was completed. The name of the stonemason remains unknown. This piece narrates the construction and the grandeur of the Jiucheng Palace; it praises Emperor Taizong of Tang for his military strategy and governance, as well as his frugality. It also describes the discovery of the Liquan Spring within the palace, citingical texts to affirm that the spring's emergence was due to the virtue of the emperor. The inscription concludes with the words, "He who stands high should think of falling, he who is full should beware of overflow," offering admonition to the world.
Ouyang Xun, styled Xinben, was from Linxiang County, Tanzhou (now Changsha, Hunan). He served as a high official and calligrapher during the Tang dynasty. In the time of Emperor Yang of Sui, he was appointed as a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. In the third year of Wude (620 AD), he joined the ranks of King Xia Dou Jiande, being granted the position of Minister of the Imperial Sacrifices. In the fifth year of Wude (622 AD), he surrendered to Emperor Gaozu of Tang, was appointed as an attendant imperial secretary, and successively promoted to the positions of Silver Qing Guanglu Dafu, Imperial Censor, Director of the Crown Prince's Tutors, and Scholar of the Hongwen Academy. He was ennobled as the male noble of Bohai County and took charge of compiling the "Yiwen Leiju". He passed away in the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era, at the age of eighty-five.
Ouyang Xun was proficient in calligraphy, and together with Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, and Xue Ji, was acclaimed as one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang". He was also collectively referred to with Ouyang Tong as the "Greater and Lesser Ou". His calligraphy style, known as "Ou Style", was characterized by its integration of grace and strength within its balance.The "Inscription of the Jiucheng Palace Liquan Spring" was a work of his later years, marked by a slender structure, a tight central hall, expansive corners, retraction on the left and extension on the right, thus turning peril into safety. The formation of the characters adapted to their positions, with opposing structures on the left and right, narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, creating a broad and stable frame, exuding a majestic aura. The even distribution of space, the distances between characters and lines, all spacious and clear, made it the most precise work among the Jiugong (Nine Palaces), with a thorough coherence and a noble spirit throughout. Esteemed by scholars over generations, it has been regarded as the paragon of regular script, lauded in later ages as "the foremost regular script under heaven".
Shortly after the stele was erected, it was eagerly copied by enthusiasts, making complete rubbings rare to find. As years passed and more copies were made, the original appearance of the inscriptions gradually deteriorated. Over time, due to weathering and excessive copying, the clarity of the inscriptions was lost, and the sharpness of the strokes diminished. Now, the stele is severely damaged, with the base and the main body becoming one, preserved in the Museum of Linyou County, Shanxi.
鉴赏
中央美术学院图书馆藏本
Central Academy of Fine Arts Library Collection
材质：纸本 尺寸：176x90 厘米 行款：24行 行50字
资料类型：石刻 拓制方法：墨拓 拓年：清末
Material:Paper Size:176x90 cm Format:24 lines, 50 characters per line
Type of material: Stele Rubbing method:Ink rubbing Year of rubbing:Late Qing Dynasty
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陕西麟游县博物馆藏本
Shaanxi Linyou County Museum Collection
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The Stele of Huang Fu's Birth
《隋柱国左光禄大夫弘义明公皇甫府君之碑》，简称《皇甫君碑》，唐志宁撰，欧阳询书。碑存陕西西安，年月不详。楷体二十八行，每行五十九字。额刻篆曰“隋柱国弘义明公皇甫府君碑”十二字。《墨林快事》载，碑立隋末，欧阳询(生于癸酉年，卒于辛酉年)早年之作也。或云，《皇甫诞碑》成于唐贞观年间。明代已折为二。
此碑笔法紧凑，刚毅而不屈。点画重在提刻，继承魏、隋之瘦劲风格。杨士奇评之曰：“询之书，骨气劲挺，规矩严谨，有言虞获晋之飘逸，欧得晋之严肃。观《皇甫诞碑》，其振奋激扬，岂不高逸乎?是亦守规矩者也。”翁方纲亦赞：“碑由隶转楷，因险得正，笔法自然生辉，锋芒未藏，学唐楷者，此碑为首选。”碑之用笔，研润而不失刚健，虽欧阳询早作，已显“欧体”之严谨、险峻。明王世贞言：“欧阳询书《皇甫府君碑》，较之他作更显险劲，乃其书法之本源。”杨宾《大瓢偶笔》中云：“信本之作，严于《邕禅师碑》，秀劲于《醴泉铭》，险峻过《皇甫诞碑》，险绝尤难，故《皇甫碑》为珍也。”
The full name of the "Huangfu Dan Stele" is "Stele of the Duke of Sui, Left Minister of Guanglu, the Illustrious and Benevolent Lord Huangfu," also known as "The Stele of Lord Huangfu." Authored by Tang Dynasty's Yu Zhining and inscribed by Ouyang Xun, this stele is located in Xi'an, Shaanxi, without a recorded date of creation. It comprises 28 lines of regular script, each line holding 59 characters, with the stele's head inscribed in seal script: "Stele of the Duke of Sui, the Illustrious and Benevolent Lord Huangfu," totaling twelve characters. "Molin Kuai Shi" suggests that the stele was erected during the Sui Dynasty, presumably an early work of Ouyang Xun (557-641 AD), with another opinion positing its creation during the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan period (627-650 AD). By the Ming Dynasty, it had already broken into two pieces.
The stele's brushwork is dense and restrained, exhibiting a firmness that is unbending. The emphasis on brush lifting and carving is a distinctive feature of the early Tang's lean and vigorous style, inherited from the Wei and Sui steles. Yang Shiqi commented, "Ouyang Xun's writing possesses a vigorous and rugged spirit, with strict adherence to rules, suggesting that Yu (Shinan) captured the elegance of the Jin Dynasty, while Ou (yang Xun) achieved its solemnity. Observing the 'Huangfu Dan Stele,' its vibrancy and movement are surely exceptional, embodying the essence of staying within bounds." Weng Fangang praised, "The stele transitions from clerical to regular script, achieving correctness through its daring execution, revealing divine brilliance in its spontaneous brush movements without yet concealing its sharpness, making it a paramount path for those studying Tang regular script." Despite being an early work of Ouyang Xun, the stele already exhibits the rigorous and precipitous characteristics of the "Ou style." Ming Dynasty's Wang Shizhen remarked, "Ouyang Xun's writing of the 'Huangfu County Lord Stele' stands out for its perilous vigor among his other works, marking the origin of his family's style." Yang Bin in "Da Piao Ou Bi" stated, "Among Xinben's (Ouyang Xun's) works, none are more solemn than 'The Stele of Chan Master Yong,' more graceful than 'The Inscription of the Liquan Spring,' or more rugged than 'The Huangfu Dan Stele,' with its perilous execution being particularly challenging, thus making 'The Huangfu Stele' especially valuable."
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Zhongni Mengdian Tie
唐代书法家欧阳询，创《仲尼梦奠帖》，珍藏于辽宁博物馆。帖以“仲尼梦奠”起，七十八字，叙孔子梦祭之事，含佛法无常、因果之意，未留款印。
欧阳询，初唐书法之士，未甚受王羲之影响，与虞世南、褚遂良等人风格迥异，魏碑之风，对其影响甚深。《仲尼梦奠帖》观其风格，推为晚年之作，约贞观初年(627—640年)成，行书艺术之成熟，后世列为传世名帖。
帖中笔法清刚，锋芒毕露，展示侧锋入纸，起笔即锐，显魏碑之法;笔下直截，不藏锋，加行笔稍速，如剑出鞘之锐。其转折顿挫，更显刻厉之美。初唐书风，一变方为圆，欧阳询不随波逐流，转折仍重且方，不减楷书之法。
In the Tang dynasty, the calligrapher Ouyang Xun created the "Zhongni Mengdian Tie," which is now treasured in the Liaoning Museum. The piece starts with the phrase "Zhongni Mengdian" and spans seventy-eight characters, narrating the story of Confucius' dream of making sacrifices, imbued with the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and karma, and bears no signature seal.
Ouyang Xun, a calligraphy master of the early Tang period, was not significantly influenced by Wang Xizhi's style, distinctively diverging from the styles of Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, with the Wei Stele's influence profoundly evident in his work. The "Zhongni Mengdian Tie," based on its style, is deduced to be a creation from his later years, roughly during the early Zhenguan era (627—640 AD), marking the maturity of his cursive script artistry, and is recognized as one of the ten great calligraphic works passed down through generations.
The script of the "Zhongni Mengdian Tie" is characterized by its clear and robust strokes, revealing an edge, with two main features: the side-edge technique as it enters the paper, starting sharply, clearly adopting the Wei Stele's method; and its direct and swift strokes, revealing the blade-like sharpness. Its turning and pausing further enhance its incisive beauty. Despite the early Tang trend of softening squareness into roundness, Ouyang Xun was unaffected, maintaining the solidity and squareness in turns, adhering to the regular script's discipline.
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Bu Shang Tie
《尚书大传》载，孔门弟子卜商，字子夏，春秋卫国之士也。师从孔子，师生之间，议论甚多，皆含哲理之言。
此语收录于欧阳询辑《艺文类聚》，卷五五《杂文部·读书》。与史籍比较，帖中字句略异。
《卜商帖》中，欧阳询墨色浓郁，笔气贯通，落笔之势，犹如斩钉截铁。其楷书之中的瘦劲典雅，在此化为尖锐之笔迹，似存北派书法之方劲。然墨色尤为鲜润，笔触丰腴，起笔简约，远离了当时盛行的王羲之或王献之之风。如清人吴升《大观录》跋云：“笔力峭劲，墨气鲜润。”
此帖乃双钩廓填，墨色生动。其书法严谨而不失灵动，点画之起止尤显方硬之美。欧阳询晚年，北碑之笔法与二王书风相融合，南北兼容，乃“欧体”之所长也。此乃欧阳询行楷杰作。
"The Book of Documents in Greater Detail" records the words of Bu Shang, a disciple of Confucius, known as Zi Xia, who was a scholar from the state of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period. He was a student of Confucius, and there were many discussions filled with philosophical wisdom between the teacher and student.
This discourse is included in "Yiwen Leiju," compiled by Ouyang Xun, under the section "Miscellaneous Writings on Reading" in Volume 55. When compared with historical records, there are slight differences in the characters used in the manuscript.
In the "Bu Shang Tie," Ouyang Xun's ink is rich and the breath of his writing fully connected, with the strokes executed with decisive force, as if cutting nails and slicing iron. The slender elegance of his regular script here transforms into sharp inscriptions, seemingly retaining the robust style of Northern calligraphy. However, the ink is exceptionally fresh, and the strokes are plump and full-bodied. The initiation of each stroke is simple and direct, markedly different from the prevailing styles of Wang Xizhi or Wang Xianzhi at the time. As noted by Wu Sheng in the postscript of "Daguanlu," "The brushwork is starkly forceful, and the ink breathes freshness."
This piece employs the double-hook outline filling technique, with vividly lively ink. In terms of calligraphy, the method is meticulous yet vibrant, with the beginnings and endings of strokes emphasizing a square and firm beauty. In his later years, Ouyang Xun blended the pen techniques of Northern steles with the styles of the Two Wangs, integrating both Northern and Southern traditions, which is precisely the unique strength of the "Ou style." This work stands as one of Ouyang Xun's representative pieces in semi-cursive and regular script.
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释文：“卜商读书毕，见孔子。孔子问焉，何为于书。商曰，书之论事，昭昭如日月之代明，离离如参辰之错行，商所受于夫子者，志之于心，弗敢忘也。”
Translation:"After Bu Shang finished reading, he went to see Confucius. Confucius asked him what he had gained from the books. Bu Shang replied, 'The discourse in the books is as clear as the sun and the moon shining in succession, and as distinct as the stars of the Big Dipper moving in their paths. What I have learned from the Master, I hold it in my heart, daring not to forget.'"
欧阳询，书法大家也，深通书理，长于笔墨，融汇古今。创练字八法，撰《传授诀》《用笔论》《八诀》《三十六法》等，皆吾人学书之经验总结。论用笔之妙，结体之精，章法之变，及书之美学，皆书法理论之珍宝也。
Ouyang Xun, a master of calligraphy, was also profound in the theory of calligraphy. Proficient in ink and brush, he integrated the wisdom of the past and present, formulating the eight methods of practicing calligraphy. He authored works such as "Transmission Secrets," "On the Use of the Brush," "The Eight Principles," and "The Thirty-Six Methods," all of which summarize his experiences in learning calligraphy. These works deeply explore the subtleties of brush use, the precision of structure, the variations of composition, and the aesthetics of calligraphy, all constituting precious treasures in the theory of Chinese calligraphy.
责任编辑：苗君
