经典世界中的《兰亭序》——一个哲学的视角

Viewing the Lanting xu( Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion)in the Classical World from a Philosophical Perspective

《兰亭序》是事件、文章与字帖的集合体。虽然书法成就其最终意义,但事件与文章的影响是它进入经典世界的条件,而传奇般的出场与皇权的支持则是其传播的重要助力。理解这件存世时间有限但却能名垂千古的作品,要义在于对书法临摹精神内涵的分析。临书不只是原作形的再现,而且是其神的传承。原作与临作之间是一对多的关系。临作不仅让原作的典范性得以实现,同时形成谱系式扩展的传统。原作与作者王羲之的经典地位最终是由临作的品质与数量造成的。《兰亭》帖作为文物,超越一般供瞻仰的价值,系无数临写者与古人直接神交的精神蹊径。因此,即便真迹毁灭,怀疑不断,其作为"斯文"的精神碑石永存。

Wang Xizhi’s Lanting xu( Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion) is a combination of event,literary work,and calligraphical copybook. Although it is due to its calligraphical achievement that this masterpiece was ultimately remembered,the importance of its other two aspects should not be overlooked because they constitute the conditions for its entry into the classical world. In addition,the legendary emergence of this work and the support of imperial power aided its dissemination. The key to understanding this phenomenon—it was ephemeral yet crowned with eternal glory—lies in the spiritual connotations of the calligraphical practice of imitating the original. Generally speaking,the copy is not merely a reproduction of the original work,but more importantly the transmission of its spirit. The relationship between the original and the copy is one-to-many. The copy not only makes the original become the exemplar,but also forms the tradition of its genealogical expansion in the sense that both the status of the original and that of the author depend on the quality and quantity of the copies. Overall,the value of Lanting xu does not lie in its being an object for public admiration as a cultural relic but rather in its being the very spiritual path that allows the copyists to communicate with the author,enabling its everlasting significance despite the loss of the authentic work.