(b AD 344; d 386-8). Son of (1) Wang Xizhi. He was a child prodigy in calligraphy; he was only eight years old when he participated in his father's literary gathering at the Orchid Pavilion. He is traditionally held to have first studied his father's style and then that of Zhang Zhi ( fl c. AD 190), who was renowned for his one-stroke, 'flying-white' calligraphy linking a column of characters in one charge of the brush. According to other commentators, he followed the style of his father's anonymous stand-in (daibi). Wang Xianzhi himself claimed that at the age of 24, while roaming the mountains, he received instructions in the form of a piece of writing of 579 characters, which profoundly affected his writing style. He excelled not only in various calligraphic scripts but also in the painting of animals and insects. He served, as did his father, at the Eastern Jin court, attaining the rank of Chief Councillor (zhongshuling or daling), by which title he was later frequently known.
Part of the Wang family
See the Abbreviations for further details.
