In Japan,the research on the literature of the two Jin dynasties is regarded as extremely difficult.The reason is that it is almost impossible for Japanese scholars to interpret the first-hand letters and writings of the literati in this period.Take Wang Xizhi as an example.To date,there are nearly seven hundred letters by Wang Xizhi in circulation,all of which were private correspondence not written for publication.These are an invaluable resource for the academic study of Wang Xizhi.These letters differ from traditional Chinese books,which were written to be published.Wang Xizhi's letters were completely personal and private,and it is very difficult to understand their content correctly without a detailed knowledge of both his life and the period in which he lived.In order to meet this challenge,the author and Dr.Morino Shigeo spent more than ten years together,and finally completed the interpretation of all the letters of Wang Xizhi,laying a solid foundation for the research in this field.This article is built on the work from this collaboration between a Chinese and Japanese scholar,and gives the perspective of Wang Xizhi's relationship with Taoism,The article focuses on Wang Xizhi's handwritten letters, and then explores his real image.Wang Xizhi's writings have much to do with Taoism,medicine, food and health.In his letters,he called the Taoist priests″great master″,″great sage″,and in order to rely on the Taoist priests for medical treatment,he employed such words as″life saving″and″prayer″.In fact,the word″life saving″in these letters refers to a request for prayer from a Taoist priest,from which we can learn that Wang Xizhi believed in Taoism,trusted Taoists in healing,and developed a deep friendship with Taoist Xu Mai.Through his interactions with Xu Mai,Wang Xizhi made an effort to take sustenance and became interested in prescriptions.On the subj ect of health,like most of the literati of the Wei and Jin dynasties,Wang Xizhi preferred to take the powder of five minerals,but despite the fact that the results were not satisfactory,he continued to take this toxic compound,perhaps to relieve himself of his depression through the use of drugs.In addition to the powder of five minerals,his letters also contained a large number of other prescriptions.The efficacy of most of the drugs in these prescriptions has been confirmed by later medical writings. Wang Xizhi shared his knowledge of various herbal remedies by exchanging medical tips with his friends and relatives,working together to take care of his health.In his later life,Wang Xizhi regarded his lovely grandchildren as solace for his soul. However,the successive deaths of the grandchildren brought great pain and were a great blow. From this,we speculate that one of the main means Wang Xizhi used to enrich his life may have been the medicine prescription.Perhaps,Wang Xizhi believed that relying on Taoism to study prescriptions,dietetic life-nourishing was the practice of trying to live in the present moment.It can be seen from these letters that Wang Xizhi was not only a great calligrapher,but also aflesh-and-blood son of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
佐藤利行. 王羲之与道教[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2020, 6(4): 190-.
Sato Toshiyuki translated by Rong Xichao. Wang Xizhi and Taoism. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2020, 6(4): 190-.