Two lines from the poem Take in virtuous words as if returning home joyfully; Listen to well-meaning advice as if hearing it for the first time (chouding caisang 酬丁柴桑by Tao Yuanming (365–427) are written in running script on separate sheets of paper and mounted as a couplet.The original text is “餐勝如歸，聆善若始”. It means “take in virtuous words as if returning home joyfully, listen to well-meaning advice as if hearing it for the first time.” See Fragrance of the Past: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting by Ch’ung-ho Chang Frankel and Friends (Seattle: Seattle Asian Art Museum, 2006): 10. The text, which suggests taking good advice and patiently listening to others, was familiar to the educated elite. Less familiar was the way Shen Yinmo divided the two vertical sheets of paper, containing four characters each, into two short columns, which is an unconventional format for a couplet. According to his student Chang Ch’ung-ho Frankel (born 1913), to whom Shen gave the couplet, this calligraphy was done in Chongqing, Sichuan province, the temporary capital of the Nationalist Government during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).Ch’ung-ho Chang, “Cong xiyan shuoqi: jinian Shen Yinmo shi” 從洗硯說起 — 紀念沈尹默師. In Ch’ung-ho Chang’s collection, Shen Yinmo shuzhong moji沈尹默蜀中墨蹟 (Nanning: Guangxi meishu chubanshe, 2001): 3. This couplet is representative of the best period of Shen's calligraphy, and also provides a rare glimpse into Shen’s practice.

It is often said that Shen Yinmo’s calligraphy reached a peak during his stay in Chongqing, because being free of official duties enabled him to concentrate on calligraphy.Shen C Y Fu, “Minchu tiexue shujia Shen Yinmo” 民初帖學書家沈尹默. In Shen Yinmo xiansheng dansheng yibai ershi zhounian jinian wenji沈尹默先生誕生一百二十周年紀念文集 (Shanghai: Shanghai hongkouqu wenshiguan, Shen Yinmo xiansheng guju; Shanxi: Hanyin sanshen jinianguan, 2004): 40. Qianshen Bai in his article “Shen Yinmo yu Chang Ch’ung-ho” 沈尹默與張充和, said Shen was in Chongqing from the end of 1938 to 1946. See Shen Yinmo shuzhong moji沈尹默蜀中墨蹟: 11, 16-17. However, Shen’s biography records it’s from the fall of 1939 to 1946. See Dai Zizhong 戴自中, “Biography”. In Wu Yaohui 吳耀輝, Lu Zhizhang 盧之章 ed., Ningjing: Yinmo ershi zhounian ji 凝靜 — 尹默二十年祭 (Beijing: Beijing yanshan chubanshe, 1991):104-106. Shen practiced daily but never used ink from the previous day. Therefore, he always washed his inkstone after practice. In order not to waste ink, he would fill his inkstone with water, wash it with his brush, and then use the ink-water (diluted ink) to write calligraphy and paint bamboo on practice or discarded paper, until the inkstone was dry.Note 2. This calligraphy couplet was produced under such casual circumstances. More importantly, the unusual format of these two scrolls was conditioned by the use of practice paper, and as he wound down, Shen most likely was inclined to write large characters, because they were less time-consuming. The fact that it was the wind-down session, and he was writing with diluted ink on practice paper, may have determined his choice of a short text and large informal script, thereby occasioning the new format of the couplet—the division of the large characters into two short columns.

While Shen wrote these lines of large running script in a relaxed manner, as seen in the fluent linkage of strokes in characters such as sheng 勝 and ruo若, he was nonetheless serious about perfecting the exacting character of his brushwork. The structure and spacing, as well as the undulating horizontal strokes of the characters gui歸, ling聆 and shan 善, make reference to the style of Huang Tingjian 黃庭堅(1045–1105). With watery ink, the tone of the whole work is dark grey, not pure black, but the stroke order is clear, which adds interest to the work. As Shen was a harsh self-critic, he would share only his best works with others.Shen Yinmo, “Zixi de huiyi”自習的回憶, in Shen Yinmo xiansheng shufaji 沈尹默先生書法集 (Taipei Xian: Yangzhengtang wenhua shiye gufen youxian gongsi, 2003): 20. Therefore, by giving this calligraphy to Chang Ch'ung-ho, Shen must have approved of its aesthetic merit, and completed the work properly by adding his signature and seals.

Despite the fact that Shen was a prolific calligrapher, he rarely wrote large characters like these, which are 8 to 9 inches high. Hence, what began as casual ink-play turned into fine calligraphy, because of its unconventional format and large characters, demonstrating that innovative calligraphic works are often created spontaneously.

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