YU Youren (1879-1964) - Lot 51

YU Youren (1879-1964) Large cursive calligraphy. 132 x 44.5 cm (excluding scroll). These works came from Ms. Wang's mother, Ms. Liu Hsiu-ching, who worked at the National Museum of History in Taiwan in the 1960s, and thus had access to the artists who came to hold calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and the works in the auction were given to Ms. Liu and her husband, Wang Ben-tao (Wang Ruo-xian), by the renowned artists Pu Ru /Pu Xin-yu , and Yu You-ren , at the same time. "Moral people rely on inner peace to nourish their bodies and minds, and on diligence and thrift to cultivate their character. There is no way to realize one's ambition unless one is indifferent, and there is no way to be far-sighted unless one is serene. Reading should be meditative and concentrated, and only through diligent study can one become successful. If you don't read, you can't utilize your talents, and you can't learn anything without a clear ambition. Debauchery, negativity, and idleness cannot invigorate the spirit, and adventure, recklessness, impatience, and lethargy cannot cultivate the temperament. The years pass in light and shadow, and the spirit fades. In the end (like the yellow leaves) they wither and fade, most of them do not come into contact with the world, do not serve the community, and can only be sadly shut up in their own dilapidated homes, and again they are remorseful, and is it not too late?” This essay was written in 234 AD (the twelfth year of Shu Han's Jianxing), and is a letter from Zhuge Liang to his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan. Zhuge Liang spent his whole life working for his country, to which he devoted himself until his death. He worked day and night for the national cause of Shu Han and was unable to personally look after his son's education, which is why he wrote this letter to reprimand Zhuge Zhan.