草圣张旭 zhang xu master of cursive script

唐代的大书法家 [[ Zhang Xu 张旭 ]]，写的一手漂亮的草字，人们都叫他“草圣”。

Tang Dynasty calligrapher Zhang Xu was a master of the cursive script. People called him cǎo shèng, the ‘Sage of Cursive Script’.

最初张旭写出来的草字不是让人认不清就是神态不足。后来他去看一个当时有名的舞女 [[ Madam Gongsun 公孙大娘 ]]舞剑。击鼓人有节奏的动作和舞剑人优美动人的舞姿给了他很大的启发。

When Zhang Xu began writing cursive script, the characters were either hard to read or lacked impact. One day he went to watch a performance of the sword dance by a famous dancer called Madam Gongsun. The rhythmic pulse of the drum and the graceful movements of the dance awakened something within him.

他体会到写字也如打鼓、舞剑一样：有它的节奏、姿态和规律。只有熟练的掌握了这些规律才能把草字写好。从此，他常常去看舞剑，并且把好多舞剑的动作、姿态运用到自己的字体上。这样，他的字进步很快，经过多年的努力，终于成为有名的书法家。

He realised that writing Chinese characters is like drumming, like the sword dance: the rhythm and poise have unwritten rules of their own. Only once you have grasped and mastered these rules will your cursive calligraphy improve. From that day on he would often go to watch sword dances: he even adapted some of the moves and techniques into his script. His writing improved tenfold, and after many years of hard work, he made a name for himself as a famous calligrapher.

有一次一个大官过生日，派人请张旭到家里去写对联，正碰上他在喝酒。张旭随手写了“喝酒成仙，击鼓舞剑”八个字交给来人带回去。那个大官不明白是什么意思，就问手下人。

One day, an important member of the court was celebrating his birthday. He sent a messenger to ask if Zhang Xu would write a couplet for him, on his arrival Zhang Xu had been drinking. He wrote 8 characters hē jǐu chéng xiān, jī gǔ wǔ jiàn and gave them to the messenger to take back to his master. The courtier couldn’t fathom what Zhang Xu meant, so he asked one of his subordinates.

有一个人回答说：“张旭有个怪脾气，他写字先要喝酒。酒喝的越多，字就写的越好；写字的时候，旁边要有人击鼓，台下要有人舞剑。这样才能写出拿手的草字来。我猜他写的八个字是这个意思。”

Someone chipped in saying: “Zhang Xu is eccentric: he likes to drink himself into a fervour before he writes. The more he drinks, the better his brush flows. When he writes he likes to be accompanied by drums and a sword dance. He needs that to achieve his best results. I think that’s what the 8 characters mean.”

那个大官听了就亲自把张旭请到自己家里来做客。他陪着张旭喝酒，真的叫人在一旁击鼓、舞剑助兴，倒不提写字的事。酒喝了个大半坛子，张旭有些醉了。突然他大声喊：“拿笔来！”

When the official heard this, he went to Zhang Xu’s house in person to issue an invitation. He drank wine with him, arranging drums and sword dances to add to the fun. He didn’t raise the issue of writing an inscription. When they had finished about half a vat of wine, Zhang Xu was feeling a little tipsy. Suddenly he shouted: “bring me a brush!”

旁边的人早把笔墨纸砚准备好了。张旭拿起笔，乘着酒兴在鼓声和舞剑的喝彩声中，很快就写好了一副对联。

Having prepared for this moment long in advance, the attendants brought out an inkstone, paper and a brush. Zhang Xu lifted his brush: moving in a drunken stupor with the rhythm of the drums and the sword dance, accompanied by the whoops and cries of the audience, he wrote a dazzling couplet.

#ZhangXu #CursiveScript #WildCursive #MadamGongsun #SwordDance #StoriesAboutCalligraphers #张旭 #狂草 #草书 #书法家故事 #舞剑 #公孙大娘 #喝酒 #Alcohol

This line appears after every note.