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A Model of Zhang Xu's Zi Yan Tie ( 臨 張旭《自言帖》)
32 X 93 cm
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32 X 93 cm in Cursive Script (草書)
醉顛嘗自言意。始見公主擔夫爭道，又聞鼓吹，而得筆法。及觀公孫大娘舞劍，而得其神。自此見漢張芝草書入聖。甚復發顛興耳。
有唐開元二年八月望。顛旭醉書。
Translations
白話對譯 Vernacular Chinese
喝醉了的顛旭曾經自己以言述意。昔日遇見(溫柔華麗而緩步的)公主和(壯健實樸而疾行的)擔夫爭用道路(而不相阻); 又聽見鼓吹演奏，(各種樂器樂聲不同而渾然一體，高低快慢和而有節。) 因而悟得了字的筆法。及至觀賞了公孫大娘跳《劍器》舞曲，(舞姿渾脫，瀏灕頓挫，) 因而悟得了字的神韻。從此就看到漢代張芝草書所達到的超凡神妙境界。顛旭的酒興眞個又發作囉。
有唐開元二年八月十五日。顛旭醉時書。
(潘國鍵語譯)
English
1. 醉顛嘗自言意.
Drunk Mad (醉顛) had once (嘗), himself (自), used words to elaborate (言意) (1).
2. 始見公主擔夫爭道，
In the past (始) (2), I witnessed a (gentle and unrushed) princess competing against a (rough and hurried) porter for a road (without blocking each other), (3)
3. 又聞鼓吹，而得筆法.
Then I heard the (fast and slow) beats and the (high and low) notes from the (harmonious) playing of wind and percussion instruments, and so I became enlightened in the way of the brush.
4. 及觀公孫大娘舞劍，而得其神.
Later, I watched Madame (大娘) Gongsun's (公孫) dance (舞) to the music of Jian Qi (《劍器》) (4), (her movements free and liberated, fluent and graceful, along with plenty of variations), and so I became enlightened in the spirit of calligraphy. (5)
5. 自此見漢張芝草書入聖.
Since then, I see how Han's Zhang Zhi (張芝) reached a transcendent level (聖) (6) in scribing the cursive script.
6. 甚復發顛興耳.
Mad's (Xu's) affection(興) for wine truly (甚) rises (發) once again!
7. 有唐開元二年八月望。顛旭醉書.
On the fifteenth day (望) (7) of the eighth month of the second year of Kaiyuan (開元) of the Tang Dynasty, Mad Xu (顛旭) scribed while drunk.
(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Remarks
(I)
The Zi Yan Tie (《自言帖》) was purportedly scribed by Zhang Xu (張旭, 685-759 AD) of the Tang Dynasty around 714 AD (8). Zhang Xu is best known for his wild cursive script (狂草), characterised by unrestrained and imposing brushstrokes. His mastery of the cursive script had earned him a place among "Tang Emperor Wenzong's Three Ultimates (唐文宗三絕)" (9). The original Zi Yan Tie is currently housed in Taiwan's National Palace Museum (10).
(II)
Zhang Xu is often wrongly identified as the formal and singular "Sage of the Cursive Script (草聖)", a title reserved exclusively for Zhang Zhi (張芝, ?–192 AD). Many reasoned Zhang Xu is the formal "Sage of the Cursive Script" because Du Fu (杜甫, 712-770 AD) once wrote:
"張旭三杯草聖傳." (11)"Zhang Xu, after several cups of wine, conveys (傳) the manner of the 'Sage of the Cursive Script'."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Their reasoning is flawed, for they omit to interpret the word "conveys (傳)" at the very end of the phrase. Du Fu merely meant that a drunk Zhang Xu truly "conveyed" the art of Zhang Zhi, the one and only "Sage of the Cursive Script". For further discussion on this topic, please see KS Vincent Poon & Kwok Kin Poon's English Translation of Classical Chinese Calligraphy Masterpieces (英譯法書) (12).
Of course, "Sage of the Cursive Script (草聖)" may be used by one to pay respect to persons who scribe outstanding cursive scripts (e.g., to Huai Su, 懷素, another cursive script master). This sort of usage can be observed during the Liang period of the Southern Dynasties (502- 557 AD), when Xu Xixiu (徐希秀, ?-?) called Wang Zhi (王志, 460-513 AD) "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)" (13). Such usage can only be regarded as a sign of respect (尊敬), not as a unique formal title that is designated exclusively to one exceptional person (獨一稱號).
(III)
"公主擔夫爭道" in Line 2 deserves further elaboration.
"Princess (公主) " is a metaphor for "gentle and unrushed", while "Porter (擔夫)" is a metaphor for "rough and hurried". Although these two manners markedly differ, good calligraphy requires both to coexist and compete (爭) harmoniously. Such is an important concept outlined in the authoritative A Narrative on Calligraphy (《書譜》) by Sun Guoting (孫過庭, 646-691 AD) during the early Tang Dynasty:
"違而不犯, 和而不同.""Disparate yet not disagreeable, in harmony but not the same." (14)(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
(IV)
"公孫大娘舞劍" in Line 4 also requires further discussion.
Here, many of the past and present take "舞劍" as "dancing with a sword (持劍而舞)". This is wholly incorrect.
According to Du Fu, Zhang Xu was inspired by Lady Gongsun's (公孫大娘) fantastic moves (舞) to the martial dance tune (武舞之曲) Jian Qi (《劍器》):
"昔者吳人張旭善草書書帖，數嘗於鄴縣見公孫大娘舞西河《劍器》，自此草書長進，豪蕩感激." (15)"In the past, there was Zhang Xu, a person of Wu (吳人), who was adept at scribing cursive script pieces. Several times, he watched Lady Gongsun's dance to the tunes of Xi He's (西河) Jian Qi (《劍器》) in the county of Ye (鄴縣). From then on, his cursive script greatly improved, becoming effusive, liberating (豪蕩) (16), exciting and lively (感激) (17)."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
"舞劍" here actually means "dancing (舞)" to "Jian Qi《劍器》", a title of a martial dance tune where performers do not hold any sword, according to Qing scholar Hu Mingyu (胡鳴玉):
"《劍器》，古武舞之曲名，其舞用女妓，雄裝空手而舞. 案此，今人意以劍器爲刀劍之器，非是." (18)"Jian Qi, a title of a martial dance tune of the past. Its dance is performed by well-trained female dancers (女妓) who dress like males and dance empty-handed. Accordingly, those of the present who consider the term '劍器' as some sort of knife weapon are not right."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Clearly, it is incorrect to take "舞劍" here as "dancing with a sword (持劍而舞)".
(V)
Why did Madame Gongsun's swordless dance inspire Zhang Xu? It is because the dynamic variations of her moves resemble those of good calligraphy.
Du Fu recalled:
"余尚童稚，記於郾城觀公孫氏舞《劍器》、《渾脫》. 瀏灕頓挫，獨出冠時." (19)"When I was a child, I remember watching Madame Gongsun's dance (舞) to the music of Jian Qi (《劍器》) and Hun Tuo (《渾脫》) (20) in Yancheng (郾城). Her moves were fluent and graceful (瀏灕) (21), with plenty of variations (頓挫) (22). Her dance was certainly unique (獨出) and the best in her time (冠時)."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Du Fu further lauded Gongsun's dynamic moves with this poetic line:
"來如雷霆收震怒, 罷如江海凝青光." (23)"Her dance starts like the collection (收) (24) of thunderous (雷霆) anger (震怒), (strong and mighty), and ends like the gathering (凝) (25) of a single reclusive (江海) (26) candlelight (青光) (27), (idle and lonely)."(translated by Vincent Poon)
In vernacular Chinese:
"開始時有如雷霆盛怒匯集(的剛烈)，結束時有如隱居青燈凝結(的孤寂)."(潘國鍵語譯)
Such dynamic variations are essential in good calligraphy, as described in A Narrative on Calligraphy (《書譜》) :
"乍顯乍晦, 若行若藏. 窮變態於豪端, 合情調於紙上.”
"Good calligraphy should give the impression of suddenly (乍) being open (顯) in one place, and suddenly being ambiguous in others, seemingly going towards (行) yet seemingly hiding behind (藏). One should exhaust all the dynamic variations using the tip of the brush and amass (合) all one's emotions onto the paper." (28)(translated by Vincent Poon)
(VI)
Although Zhang Xu's wild cursive scripts are widely cherished, they are still inferior to those of Zhang Zhi (張芝, ?-192 AD). Even Huai Su (懷素, 725-785AD or 737-799AD), who was a peer of Zhang Xu and also inspired by Lady Gongsun, scribed better cursive scripts than Zhang Xu.
Undoubtedly, Zhang Xu's calligraphy is striking at first glance, but he put too much focus on being "strong and mighty" and too little on being "idle and lonely". His works have excessive "rough porters" but very few "gentle princesses", making them look artificial and without much variation. Judging by the gold standard of "One should exhaust all the dynamic variations using the tip of the brush (窮變態於豪端)" established in A Narrative on Calligraphy (《書譜》) (28), Zhang Xu certainly comes behind both Zhang Zhi and Huai Su.
KS Vincent Poon, May 2026
_______________
(1) "言意" here means "using words to elaborate (以言述意)", as in 《呂氏春秋•離謂》: "言者，以諭意也. 言意相離，凶也. " See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.9.
(2) "始" here means "in the past (昔)", as in 《史記•魏公子列傳》："始吾聞夫人弟公子天下無雙；今吾聞之，乃妄從博徒賣漿者遊, 公子妄人耳." Ibid., p.335.
(3) See Remarks (III).
(4) See Remarks (IV).
(5) See Remarks (V).
(6) "聖" here means "transcends (超凡)" , as in 葛洪《抱朴子•辨問》："世人以人所尤長，衆所不及者便謂之聖……聖者，人事之極號也，不獨於文學而已矣." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.664.
(7) "望" here means "the fifteenth day of the month (農曆每月十五日) ." See《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p.2231.
(8) 劉正成,《中國書法全集》Vol 24. Beijing: 榮寶齋出版社, 1997, p.409.
(9) 歐陽修,《新唐書》Vol. 202, 李白傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1975, p.5764.
(10) 何炎泉，〈從「公孫大娘舞劍」看舞蹈與書法的關係〉, 《故宮文物月刊》，451期. Taiwan: National Palace Museum, 2020, p.26.
(11) 曹寅,《全唐詩》Vol. 216. Beijing: 中華書局, 1979, p.2259.
(13) Both History of the Southern Dynasties - Biography of Wang Zhi (《南史•王志傳》) as well as the Book of Liang - Biography of Wang Zhi (《梁書•王志傳》) documented Xu Xixiu (徐希秀) called Wang Zhi (王志) "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)":
"志善草隸，當時以爲楷法. 齊遊擊將軍徐希秀亦號能書，常謂志爲書聖."Source: 李延壽,《南史》Vol.22, 王志傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1975, p.608 ; 姚思廉,《梁書》 Vol. 21, 王志傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1973, p.320.
Obviously, the one and only "Sage of Calligraphy (書聖)" throughout Chinese history is Wang Xizhi (王羲之). Thus, Xu's usage here should be regarded only as a sign of respect, not as the unique formal title that is designated to one exceptional person.
(15) As in footnote (11), p.2356. Some contend that "西河" was a title of a musical tune from the past. However, Ma Duanlin's (馬端臨) Wenxian Tongkao (《文獻通考》) recorded no such title.
(16) "豪蕩" here means "effusive and liberating (感情奔放，不受拘束)", as in 姚椿《題杜陸兩家詩集》詩之二："盡鑄豪蕩詞，獨出作者右." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.34.
(17) "感激" here means "exciting and lively (激動，有生氣)", as in 譚獻《明詩錄序》： "言不期深而自然感激，文不期工而吐於高亮." Ibid., p.616.
(18) 胡鳴玉,《訂譌雜錄》Vol.3. 欽定四庫全書子部十, 乾隆四十六年版, p.14b.
(19) As in footnote (15).
(20) According to Hu Mingyu's (胡鳴玉) research and investigation:
"《劍器》、《渾脫》自各為舞曲之名.""Both Jian Qi and Hun Tuo were titles of individual dance tunes."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
See footnote (18), pp.15a-b.
(21) "瀏灕"here means"fluent and graceful (流利飄逸貌)", as in 王士禛《師友詩傳錄》： "故渾脫瀏灕， 只如其自道， 頓挫獨出， 能此者幾人？" See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.203.
(22) "頓挫" here refers to "plenty of variations within a poem or an artwork (詩文、繪畫、書法、舞蹈的跌宕起伏、回旋轉折、富於變化)", as in 《文選•陸機＜文賦＞》："銘博約而溫潤，箴頓挫而淸壯." 張銑注："頓挫，猶抑折也." Ibid., p.263.
(23) As in footnote (11), p.2356.
(24) "收" here means "collect (聚集)", as in 《詩•周頌•維天之命》："假以溢我，我其收之." 毛傳："收，聚也." See《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p. 1551.
(25) "凝" here means "gather (積聚)", as in 顏延之《還至梁城作》： "故國多喬木，空城凝寒雲." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, pp.433-434.
(26) "江海" here is NOT "rivers and seas (江和海)". Rather, it is a metaphor for "a place where a reclusive person resides (指隱士的居處)", as in 《莊子•刻意》： "就藪澤，處閒曠，釣魚閒處，無爲而已矣. 此江海之士，避世之人." Ibid., p. 921.
(27) "青光" here is "candlelight (青燈)", as in 楊炯《大唐益州大都督府新都縣學先聖廟堂碑文》： "青光歇滅，赤籙衰微." Ibid., p.521. This "candlelight (青燈)" further represents "lonely and idle (孤寂)", as in 韋應物《寺居獨夜寄崔主簿》詩： "幽人寂不寐，木葉紛紛落. 寒雨暗深更，流螢度高閣. 坐使青燈曉，還傷夏衣薄. 寧知歲方晏，離居更蕭索." See footnote (11), p. 1911.
(28) As in footnote (14), p.57.