Eight Character Couplet in Running Script《行书八言联》

Dai Xi (1801–1860)
Dai Xi, courtesy name Chunshi, and pseudonyms Yu’an, Luzhuang Jushi, and Jingdong Jushi, among others, was from Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou), Zhejiang, and served as Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. During his tenure as Guangdong Academic Commissioner, he actively supported and endorsed Lin Zexu’s anti-opium campaign. After resigning and returning home, he presided over the Chongwen Academy. In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), he died by drowning during the Taiping army’s capture of Hangzhou.

Dai Xi excelled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, with a particular strength in landscape painting. He studied the techniques of Wang Hui and Yun Shouping, as well as the masters of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Along with Tang Yifen, he was known as one of the “Two Tangs.” Although renowned for his painting, his calligraphy was also highly regarded, following the traditional model of calligraphy. This couplet showcases his upright and fluid brushwork, with dynamic strokes that convey a sense of rhythm and vitality.

Translation of couplet:
“Organize benevolence and righteousness, carve and refine morality; new ideas in armor, engrave and paint with strange words.”

戴熙（1801—1860），字醇士，号榆庵、鹿牀居士、井东居士等，官至兵部右侍郎，浙江钱塘（今杭州）人。他在任广东学政期间积极支持和拥护林则徐的禁烟运动，辞官归里后主持崇文书院。咸丰十年（1860）二月，太平军攻克杭州，殉节投池而死。

戴熙诗书画印兼擅，尤长于山水，学王翚、恽寿平笔墨，兼师宋元诸家，与常州籍名画家汤贻汾并称“汤戴”。戴熙虽以绘画名世，但他的书法水平亦高，属于传统帖学一路。此联用笔挺拔流利，飞动爽快。结体平正中寓以生动，轻重粗细搭配得当，藉以变化，富有节奏感，别有风骨。

释文：组织仁义琢磨道德，莩甲新意雕画奇词。