Biography

Early life

Yan Zhenqing was born in Wannian (萬年), near the Tang capital Chang'an, to a highly reputed academic family which served the court for many generations. One of his ancestors was Yan Zhitui, a scholar-official during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. His great-great grandfather Yan Shigu was a famous linguist while his father Yan Weizhen (顏惟貞) was private tutor to the Tang princes' and a great calligrapher himself. Under the influence of family tradition and the strict instruction of his mother, Lady Yin (殷氏), Yan Zhenqing worked hard from childhood and was well-read in literature and Confucianism.

In 734, at the age of 22, Yan Zhenqing qualified at the national wide imperial examination and was granted the title of Jinshi (a rough equivalent of the modern day doctorate). He then gained the rare opportunity of taking a special imperial examination that was set for candidates with extraordinary talents, again excelling in it. With his outstanding academic background, Yan Zhengqing rose rapidly through the bureaucratic ladder: he was appointed vice-magistrate of Liquan District (醴泉尉), then later Investigating Censor (監察御史) and Palace Censor (殿中侍御史). His uprightness and outspoken style were hailed by the common people, but angered Grand Councilor Yang Guozhong; as a result, in 753, he was sent out of the capital as the governor of Pingyuan Commandery.

Tang Dynasty's territory before An Lushan Rebellion

Civil war

By the time Yan Zhenqing took up the post of governor of Pingyuan, the An Shi Rebellion was imminent. With his political sensitivity, Yan Zhenqing immediately started preparing for war by fortifying the city wall and stocking up provisions. He also sent emergency memorial to Emperor Xuanzong, but was ignored.

In December 755, An Lushan and Shi Siming rebelled under the name of removing Yang Guozhong. The ill-prepared Tang government troops retreated with little resistance from all the prefectures in Heshuo (河朔) area (which includes the present day provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Henan); only Yan Zhenqing's Pingyuan sustained through. He then combined force with his cousin, Yan Gaoqing (顏杲卿), who was the governor of Changshan (常山太守) (present day Quyang, Hebei), fighting the rebels at their rear. The government in its desperation, promoted Yan Zhenqing to Deputy Minister of Finance (户部侍郎), and conferred him great military power to assist General Li Guangbi (李光弼) in the suppression of the rebellion.

Thereafter Yan's force won several major battles over the rebels, including successfully cutting the rebel supply lines and regaining control over seventeen commands in Heshuo area. In 756, Emperor Suzong ascended the throne and promoted Yan Zhenqing to Minister of Works (工部尚書). Due to poor military deployment by the Tang government, An Lushan managed to attack Hebei by surprise, and Yan Zhenqing reluctantly abandoned his command, returning to the court in 757. He was then appointed Minister of Law (刑部尚書), but his outspokenness against corrupt higher-ranking officials resulted in himself being constantly demoted and re-promoted.

Late life

In 764, Emperor Daizong conferred the title of Duke of Lu (魯公) on Yan Zhenqing in recognition of his firm loyalty to the government and bravery during the An Lushan Rebellion. However, his unbending character was resented by the incumbent Grand Councilor, Lu Qi, and cost him his life.

In 773, Yan Zhenqing and a group of friends began work on compiling the (c. 780) Yunhai Jingyuan, which was a 360-volume rime dictionary of literary words that unfortunately became a lost work.

In 784, Li Xilie, the military commissioner of Huaixi (淮西節度使), rebelled. Lu Qi had held a grudge against Yan Zhenqing for a long time, so he sent Yan Zhenqing to negotiate with Li Xilie in the hope that Yan Zhenqing will be killed. As expected, Li Xilie tried all means to coax or threaten Yan Zhenqing to surrender, but Yan Zhenqing never wavered. According to legend, Li Xilie set up a fire in the courtyard and told Yan Zhengqing he would be burnt to death if he did not surrender. Yet Yan Zhenqing did not show the slightest fear and walked towards the fire determinedly. Li Xilie could not help but to show respect to him, and in 785, Yan Zhenqing was secretly strangled at the Longxing Temple (龍興寺) in Caizhou, Henan.

Upon hearing of his death, Emperor Daizong closed the assembly for five days and conferred the posthumous title Wenzhong (文忠) on Yan Zhenqing. He was also widely mourned by the army and the people, and a temple was constructed to commemorate him. In the Song Dynasty, the temple was moved to Shandong and from then on became a key tourist attraction.

Calligraphic achievement

Yan Zhenqing is popularly held as the only calligrapher who paralleled Wang Xizhi, the "calligraphy sage" (書聖). He specialized in the regular (kaishu 楷書) and cursive (caoshu 草書) scripts, though he also mastered other styles. His style of regular script, often called Yan script (Yanti 顏體), brought Chinese calligraphy to a new realm, emphasizing strength, boldness, and grandness. Like most of the master calligraphers, Yan Zhenqing learned his skill from various calligraphers, and the development of his personal style can be basically divided into three stages.

Early period

Most calligraphers agree Yan Zhenqing's early stage lasted until his fifties. During these years, Yan Zhenqing tried out different techniques and started to develop his personal genre. When he was young, he studied calligraphy under the famous calligraphers Zhang Xu and Chu Suiliang. Zhang Xu was skilled in Cao Script, which emphasizes the overall composition and flow; Chu Suiliang, on the other hand, was renowned for his graceful and refined Kai Script. Yan Zhenqing also drew inspiration from the Wei Bei (魏碑) Style, which originated from Northern nomad minorities and focused on strength and simplicity.

In 752, he wrote one of his best-known pieces, Duobao Pagoda Stele (多寶塔碑). The stele has 34 lines, each containing 66 characters, and it was written for Emperor Xuanzong who at the time was an extremely pious Buddhist. The style of the calligraphy was close to that of the early Tang calligraphers, who emphasized elegance and "fancifulness"; yet it also pursued composure and firmness in its brush strokes, structuring characters on powerful frames with tender management on brushline. In 758, he also wrote the influential calligraphy piece Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew (祭姪文稿).

Part of Yan Qinli Stele, Yan Zhenqing's masterpiece (the stele is on permanent display in Bei Lin, Xi'an)

Consolidating period

This period ranges from Yan Zhenqing's fifties to sixty-five. During these years, he wrote some famous pieces like Guojia Miao Stele (郭傢廟碑) and Magu Shan Xiantan Ji. Having experienced the An Lushan Rebellion and frequent vicissitudes in his civil career, Yan Zhenqing's style was maturing. He increased waist force while wielding the brush, and blended techniques from the zhuan (篆) and li (隷) Scripts into his own style, making the start and ending of his brushline gentler. For individual strokes, he adopted the rule of 「thin horizontal and thick vertical strokes」; strokes』 widths were varied to show the curvature and flow, and the dots and oblique strokes were finished with sharp edges. For character structure, Yan style displays squared shape and modest arrangement, with spacious center portion and tight outer strokes; this structure resembles more the more dated Zhuan and Li Scripts. From the point of view of spacing, his characters are compact vertically, leaving relatively more space in between lines. Hence, the emerging Yan style had abandoned the sumptuous trend of early Tang calligraphers: it is rather upright, muscular, fitting, rich and controlled; compared to the style of the early Tang which was sloped, feminine, pretty, slim and capricious.

Consummating period

In the ten years before his death, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy accomplishment peaked. His style was now established and he continuously improved on each of his works, and completed his magnum opus, the Yan Qinli Stele (顏勤禮碑). At this stage, he was able to fully exhibit his style at will even through a single stroke, and liveliness and passion bubbles under his modest and stately style. He also wrote A Poem to General Pei, which was revolutionary for his time as multiple script styles were presented within the same work.

Influence

Yan Zhenqing's style assimilated the essence of the previous five hundred years, and almost all the calligraphers after him were more or less influenced by him. In his contemporary period, another great master calligrapher, Liu Gongquan, studied under him, and the much-respected Five-Dynasty Period calligrapher, Yang Ningshi thoroughly inherited Yan Zhenqing's style and made it even bolder.

The trend of imitating Yan Zhenqing peaked during Song Dynasty. The "Four Grand Masters of the Song" – Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu (米芾), Cai Xiang – all studied the Yan Style; Su Shi even claimed Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy to be "peerless" throughout history.

After the Song, the popularity of Yan Zhenqing declined slightly, as calligraphers tended towards more abstract ways of expression. However, he still held important status, and many renowned calligraphers, such as Zhao Mengfu and Dong Qichang (董其昌) are said to have been inspired by Yan Zhenqing.

In contemporary China, the leading calligraphers like Sha Menghai (沙孟海) and Shen Yinmo conducted extended research on the Yan style, which then regained its popularity. Nowadays almost every Chinese calligraphy learner imitates the Yan style when they first pick up the brush, and Yan Zhenqing's influence has also spread to Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.

生平

顏真卿為琅琊顏氏後裔，北齊黃門侍郎顏之推的五代孫。父顏惟貞，任太子文學。真卿少年喪父，由母親殷氏(殷踐猷之長妹)撫養長大。「少好儒學，恭孝自立。貧乏紙筆，以黃土掃墻，習學書字，攻楷書絕妙，詞翰超倫」。開元二十二年（734年）進士，充當河西隴左軍城覆屯交兵使，天寶二年（743年）前去洛陽訪張旭。歷任殿中侍御史、東都畿採訪判官，轉侍御史、武部員外郎。御史吉溫出於私怨陷害御史中丞宋渾，顏真卿敢於諍言：「奈何以一時忿，欲危宋璟後乎?」因遭到宰相楊國忠排斥，出任平原郡太守（今山東省平原縣）。顏真卿估計到安祿山有可能謀反，一方面增修城池，集訓兵士，囤積糧食，另一方面整日與賓客泛舟飲酒，以放鬆安祿山的疑心。

天寶十四年（755年），安祿山叛亂，河朔等地均被攻陷，獨有平原堅守不降。顏真卿又聯絡各地起兵反抗，響應者十七郡，他被推為盟主，合兵三十萬，致使安祿山不敢急攻潼關。但是其姪子顏季明和另二位名臣張巡與許遠在安史之亂時被安祿山所俘，不屈而被殺。後肅宗即位，顏真卿轉為蒲州刺史、丹陽縣開國侯。後遷御史大夫，拜浙西節度使，未成行，因被李峘非短，改為刑部侍郎。唐代宗即位後，顏真卿晉升魯郡公，因此人稱「顏魯公」。大歷三年（768年）赴任撫州剌史，大曆八年為湖州刺史，後擢刑部尚書，進吏部尚書。大曆十四年，唐代宗駕崩，顏真卿任禮儀使。

德宗建中元年（780年），以太后親賢之故遷太子少師。十月，其子顏頵封沂水縣男，顏碩新泰縣男，侄顏頂承縣男，顏頌費縣男，顏頎鄒縣男。顏真卿的官階勳爵並至二品，子侄八人受封。

四年（783年），淮西李希烈兵叛，攻陷汝州（今河南臨汝），宰相盧杞嫉恨顏真卿，向德宗說：「顏真卿三朝舊臣，忠直剛決，名重海內，人所信服，真其人也！」遂被派往招撫李希烈。顏真卿至汝州，宣讀詔書，被賊兵團團包圍。李希烈欣賞顏真卿，將顏真卿領入驛館，逼顏真卿代己申冤，顏真卿不從。李希烈再派前汝州別駕李元平勸顏真卿投降，顏真卿反斥責元平。李希烈攻陷汴州，任命顏真卿擔任宰相。顏真卿堅辭不受。李希烈派士兵在院中挖一大坑，揚言活埋他，真卿反而說：「生死已定，何必如此多端相辱侮！」希烈無他法，只得將他囚於蔡州龍興寺。李希烈又用稻草燃火威脅真卿，揚言要燒死他。顏真卿反而自己撲向烈火。辛景臻見狀，急忙拉住他。李希烈用盡各種辦法皆不能使顏真卿屈服。真卿自度必死，乃作遺表，又自寫墓誌、祭文。

不久唐軍反敗為勝。李希烈之弟李希倩被唐廷處死，希烈大為惱怒，興元元年八月三日（785年8月23日），派閹奴和部將辛景臻將真卿縊死於龍興寺柏樹下，終年七十七歲。嗣曹王李皋聞訊大哭。淮西叛亂平定後，貞元元年正月，陳仙奇派人護送顏真卿的靈柩回京，葬於京兆萬年縣顏氏祖墳。德宗詔文曰：「器質天資，公忠傑出，出入四朝，堅貞一志。」廢朝五日，謚曰文忠。

書法

顏真卿出生在家學傳統的家庭，先輩中有不少古文字學家、書法家。顏真卿少時家貧缺紙筆，用筆醮黃土水在墻上練字。顏真卿書法初學褚遂良，後學張旭，50歲以後才形成剛勁、雄渾的顯著風格。其書品與人品頗為貼合。宋人推崇顏真卿的人品，好學顏體。在蘇軾、黃庭堅看來，顏真卿繼承了王羲之的變法精神，是唐朝書法的改革家。

正楷端莊雄偉，氣勢開張；行書遒勁有力，人稱「顏體」，與柳公權並稱「顏柳」，有「顏筋柳骨」之譽。蘇軾曾說：「詩至于杜子美，文至于韓退之，畫至于吳道子，書至于顏魯公，而古今之變，天下之能事盡矣。」可靠墨蹟有《自書告身》及《祭姪文稿》。後人編有《顏魯公文集》。

顏真卿傳世的作品比較多，著名的墨跡據說有138種。

• 楷書

　• 大唐中興頌

　• 王琳墓誌

　• 郭虛己墓誌

　• 多寶塔碑

　• 東方朔畫贊碑宋拓本

　• 顏勤禮碑

　• 顏氏家廟碑

　• 元結碑

　• 麻姑仙壇記

　• 竹山堂聯句詩帖（偽，劣質仿本），北京故宮博物院藏

　• 自書告身（真蹟，當朝有郭子儀等名臣題記，後世有北宗蔡襄題跋，南宋米友仁鑒定）

　• 羅婉順墓誌

• 行草書

　• 祭姪文稿（真跡，被元朝鮮于樞稱為天下第二行書），臺北國立故宮博物院藏

　• 爭座位帖

　• 劉中使帖，臺北國立故宮博物院藏

　• 裴將軍帖（偽，臨本），北京故宮博物院藏

　• 裴將軍帖（南宋刻留元剛《忠義堂帖》拓本），浙江省博物館藏

　• 湖州帖（宋仿本），北京故宮博物院藏

　• 奉使帖

軼事

富貴之相

相傳顏真卿擔任醴泉尉，因聽說唐玄宗要親自主持科舉考試（制科），欲去報考，遂向一個善於相面的比丘尼詢問前程。

比丘尼說：「顏郎事必成。自後一兩月必朝拜。」

顏真卿又問：「官運到頭，服到五品嗎？」

比丘尼笑答：「顏郎所望，何其卑耶？」

顏真卿說：「得五品官便可著緋衣、戴銀魚，兒子得補齋郎（若父親當官者，做兒子的可以遞補官職，但官階不高，所以齋郎應為官名。 )，我的願望已滿足矣。」

比丘尼指著座上一塊紫色的餐巾說：「顏郎衫色如此。」

果然，放榜後，顏真卿名列高等，授長安尉，不數月遷監察御史，其後仕途一帆風順，公服顏色由碧而綠，再染為赤，直到官居二品，穿上紫衫。（《戎幕閒談》）

兵解成仙

《太平廣記卷三十二》：顏真卿死後十餘年，顏家的僕人曾遇真卿於洛邑，故時人傳說顏已經兵解成仙。

家庭