Zheng Ban Qiao · ‘Chi Kui Shi Fu’ (Losing is not the end, it only makes you stronger and more resilient)

朝代：清（公元1644年-公元1911年）

名称：吃亏是福

作者：郑板桥（公元1693年-公元1765年）

简介：

书体：行书

Dynasty: Qing (1644 – 1911)

Calligrapher: Zheng Ban Qiao (1693 – 1765)

Overview: The ‘Chi Kui Shi Fu’ (Losing is not the end, it only makes you stronger and more resilient) by Zheng Ban Qiao was dedicated to a distant relative of his, Zheng Xuan. Once, an outward bound wood shipment by Zheng Xuan was hit by a severe price collapse, causing him to lose outright. Zheng Xuan poured out his grievances to Zheng Ban Qiao and upon hearing it, the latter wrote a consolation piece to motivate him to move on. Zheng Xuan regained his composure, as a result. Later, Zheng Xuan’s vessel was on the business expedition again. On his return, the commodity prices for his wood soared significantly, leading him to make a big fortune out of it. When he was home, he thought about the written advice dedicated to him by Zheng Ban Qiao, over and over again. He finally came to realize the true meaning behind that piece of writing. That’s the philosophy of life he treasured as a decree for his family for many generations to come. He hung the meaningful piece of writing on the high wall of his courtyard house to remind people of such philosophy. The calligraphy of Zheng Ban Qiao carries the characteristics of ‘Li Shu’ and ‘Kai Shu’ interchangeably, with clever spacing alignment, width and thinning, delivered through his vigorous strokes. At times, he liked to embed his calligraphy into a painting.

Calligraphy Style: Xing Shu