Chapter 147 The student, the student is done!
After Chen Yi figured out what had happened, he was both amused and exasperated.
Mr. Yue Ming went to great lengths to obtain his calligraphy copybook.
It is indeed a luxury to use such a precious paper, which is only used by wealthy families, to teach calligraphy.
Chen Yi looked at the students sitting upright in front of the sand table in the study and realized that they must have the same idea.
I reckon most people would add the word "waste" after "luxury" in their minds.
They were generally somewhat distrustful of this new instructor.
He pondered for a moment.
Unlike the other gentlemen I had seen the day before, Chen Yi did not spout off classical Chinese phrases. Instead, he calmly poured water and ground ink.
While grinding the pine soot ink in the inkstone, he said:
"Before I begin, I need you to think about a few questions."
What is a 'character'?
"What do you think 'book' is among the Six Arts? What is 'method' in the word 'calligraphy'?"
Finally, what is the "way" in "the way of calligraphy"?
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, exchanged glances, but were not particularly surprised.
It is only right that we examine the new teachers who have come to give lessons.
However, they did not expect that Chen Yi would ask such a simple and straightforward question.
Soon, one of them stood up, bowed, and said, "I believe that writing is the foundation of classics and literature. Without writing, the many classics and historical texts of our ancestors would not have been passed down to this day."
"A book is simply a word that records all things in the universe."
"The 'method' in calligraphy refers to the 'method of writing,' which includes pictographs, indicative characters, associative compounds, phonetic compounds, semantic extensions, and phonetic loan characters."
"As for 'calligraphy'..."
The student, who looked older than his age, paused, then shook his head and said, "This student does not know, please enlighten me, sir."
Chen Yi nodded slightly, looked at the others, and asked with a smile, "Any other opinions?"
Immediately, someone stood up and shared their opinion.
One after another.
Some of their views were the same as those of the original, experienced students, some were different, and some were even considered heretical.
Ultimately, no one was just going through the motions; everyone had their own understanding.
Even the youngest one could give a reasonable explanation.
But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense.
These people who were able to study at Guiyun Academy were at least scholars who had passed the academy's examinations, had read a lot of books, and had a broad perspective.
After everyone had finished speaking, Chen Yi looked at the eager faces and said with a smile:
"You're both right, it's just that you interpret things differently."
As he spoke, Chen Yi picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and got up to go to the shelf.
He did not try to force all students to have the same ideas; it was neither necessary nor meaningful.
After all, he wasn't the kind of old-fashioned scholar who just read from the book, nor did he intend to follow the rules.
There are countless paths to the same destination, all ultimately leading to the teaching of "the Way of Calligraphy".
Chen Yi paused for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote three characters.
The first is pictographic, the second is Wei Qing style, and the third is running script.
Although the strokes are different, they are all the same character: "书" (shū).
As Chen Yi wrote those three words, he stirred the heavens and earth with his true essence.
When the pen stops, the radiant glow of youth appears on the pine-leaf paper.
Not only that, he also deliberately left some Taoist meaning on it, giving those words a sense of indifference and detachment.
After Chen Yi finished writing, he stepped aside and was about to say something when he noticed that Ma Guan and the others' eyes were already drawn to the calligraphy.
The once quiet study room was now filled with faint sounds.
"Youthful beauty shines through, and calligraphy has achieved its goals."
"No, it's not just that. It should contain the artist's artistic conception, and the brushstrokes should become a painting... a masterpiece?"
"This must be the pinnacle of calligraphy!"
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at a tall, slender student behind the study hall, thinking to himself that this person had some knowledge.
The subtle emergence of youthful beauty is a sign of minor success in calligraphy; the attainment of profound artistic conception is a sign of great success.
However, seeing this situation, he was in no hurry to speak.
After the noise subsided, Chen Yi smiled and said amidst the admiring, respectful, or puzzled gazes of the students:
"How was my writing? Not bad, right?"
"Forehead……"
Ma Guan and the others were immediately stunned.
At this time, most of the teachers at the academy were learned men who considered themselves gentlemen and were characterized by humility and seriousness.
Even if the three characters on the Yunsong paper are indeed very good, if someone else were to write them, they would most likely humbly say, "I still need to practice more."
Unlike Chen Yi, who openly boasted, "Not bad."
But Chen Yi's next words stunned them even more:
"You can do it too, it's not difficult at all."
Although the voice was soft, it exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap, so much so that most of them could not think of any other words, and only remembered the two words "do it".
"Isn't it difficult?"
"Me too?"
"If it weren't difficult, why are there so few calligraphers in the Great Wei Dynasty who can write characters that 'show their beauty'?"
After muttering to himself for a moment, Ma Guan was the first to come to his senses, and solemnly stood up and bowed deeply:
"Please teach me the way of calligraphy, sir!"
Combining the previous questions, he fully understood Mr. Qingzhou's plan.
—We must not only teach them books and rules, but also pass on the way of calligraphy to them!
Seeing this, the other students naturally realized what was happening and stood up one after another to bow.
"Please teach me, sir, the way of calligraphy!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi simply nodded, then gestured for them to sit down first, and said with a smile:
"The reason I raised those questions is because they are fundamental to the art of 'books'."
"These are also things I want to teach you, which naturally include calligraphy."
"Of course, I can only guarantee that each of you will gain something. Whether you can enter the door of 'calligraphy' depends on both talent and hard work."
As he spoke, he glanced around.
Seeing that their previous disdain had disappeared, he knew that they had already escaped the trap that Mr. Yue Ming had set for him.
"So, for the first lesson..."
After that, Chen Yi neither wrote another word nor had the students practice calligraphy on the sand table.
He only addressed the previous issues.
The profound knowledge he gained from calligraphy enabled him to clearly express what writing is, and what calligraphy and the way of calligraphy are.
Soon, the bell rang outside the study, and everyone belatedly realized that an hour had passed so quickly.
Chen Yi knew it was a break between classes, so he called Ma Guan over to distribute the calligraphy practice books during the break.
However, as the students wrote down this sentence, they also saw the comments in the exercise book.
"Mr. Qingzhou's evaluation of me was poor, that the characters were messy."
"You're lucky, mine is absolutely terrible..."
Hearing the faint sound of frustration, Ma looked at the words "Good Lower Grade" on his practice book and felt a mix of emotions.
I don't know whether to laugh or feel as disappointed as everyone else.
Chen Yi took in their reactions one by one, but did not intend to say anything comforting.
Instead, he tapped the cloud-patterned paper and said with a smile, "Compared to this, isn't my assessment quite fair?"
"..."
Even the most optimistic students couldn't help but lower their heads, muttering to themselves.
The rest period ended not long afterward.
This time, Chen Yi didn't give a long speech. Instead, he commented on each person's calligraphy according to the practice book.
It not only pointed out their problems and offered suggestions for improvement, but also took the opportunity to get to know each student.
At least the name and the person match.
"Sir, my name is Fang Huan, courtesy name Youda."
"Friend, your foundation is a bit weak. The shape and strokes of your characters are not upright enough. Practice writing a hundred characters every day."
"Ma Guan, you have the best handwriting in the school..."
Chen Yi spent half an hour giving instructions, and then spent the remaining half hour having them imitate him and write the character "书" (book) on the sand table.
"Remember, strokes and character shapes are secondary; the essence of calligraphy lies within yourselves."
"If one's writing can convey meaning without any messy or flawed strokes, then one has entered the realm of mastery..."
...
Inside a house not far from this school.
Mr. Yue Ming was sitting with Mr. Zhuo Ying and several other gentlemen, chatting and playing chess, in a very harmonious atmosphere.
Occasionally, a guard from the academy dressed in a long black robe would come running up and present them with booklets.
One of the booklets reads:
Books are books, and the Way is the Way.
Books are like martial arts techniques; they are skills and methods.
The Dao is hidden in heaven and earth. If one's thoughts, ideas, and actions are in harmony with the Dao, one can attain the Dao.
The content is not much, but it is easy to understand.
Mr. Yue Ming looked at the contents of the booklet, stroked his gray beard, and sighed:
"I knew from the beginning that teaching calligraphy would be easy for Qingzhou, but I never expected that he would teach the 'Way of Calligraphy'."
Mr. Zhuo Ying, with a fair complexion and clean beard, sat upright at the table, smiling and nodding.
"This kind of magnanimity alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"It's easy to say you want to practice calligraphy, but hard to do it."
"Just like you and me, after decades of writing, haven't our words yet shown any signs of brilliance?"
Mr. Yue Ming hummed in agreement, looking thoughtfully at the booklet in his hand, and said:
"Qingzhou's insights into calligraphy are original and unique."
"I will try it out later, and perhaps I will be able to gain something."
Mr. Zhuo Ying nodded, “I will try it later. I have never tried to express my thoughts directly before because I was limited by rules and the wisdom of the sages.”
"Thinking about it carefully, Qingzhou's words make some sense."
The two elderly men sitting next to them, playing chess, also nodded:
“Indeed, he is quite good. He did not hoard his own knowledge, which was beyond my expectations.”
"Much better than some cunning people."
Mr. Yue Ming noticed his gaze and immediately realized he was being referred to, so he raised his head and said:
"Rather than let Qingzhou ruin the calligraphy on the sand table, I would rather spend more money to keep it at the academy."
"If you are not satisfied, I will keep that calligraphy copybook for myself from now on."
The old man laughed and scolded, "Don't even think about it. We agreed that each of us would leave a calligraphy copybook for one lesson."
"Your bad luck today is your own fault. Qingzhou only wrote three words, so you can't blame anyone else."
"That's what they're saying..."
Just as the gentlemen were chatting and laughing, another set of footsteps sounded outside the door.
Even from a distance, one could hear the burly, black-clad guard say:
"Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, it's done."
"It's done!"
Mr. Yue Ming frowned, looked at the delighted guard outside the door, and asked:
"What's done?"
"There's a student! The student has been accepted!"
Seeing his excited expression, Mr. Yue Ming and the others exchanged glances, and a possibility came to mind.
"You mean, some students have achieved success in calligraphy?"
The guard in black said, "Yes, yes, I heard... no, I saw a faint hint of beauty in the words written by Ma Guan and Ma Heming!"
"really?"
"Absolutely true!"
Mr. Yue Ming didn't have time to ask any more questions. He immediately got up and walked outside, his face also showing some excitement.
Seeing this, the others quickly followed.
"Ma Heming's handwriting is only so-so."
"But what if it's true?"
"Needless to say? Our Guiyun Academy has struck gold!"
This treasure is certainly not Ma Guan.
It was Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou, who could teach calligraphy!
(End of this chapter)
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