Eight Character Couplet in Running Regular Script《行楷八言联》

Wang Xun (1846–1915)
Wang Xun, originally named Xuehan, courtesy name Ziyuan, and also known as Yuanyuo, was from Wujin (present-day Changzhou), Jiangsu. In the 18th year of Guangxu (1892), he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy. He was skilled in poetry and prose. In his later years, he moved to Shanghai, where he founded the first organized art society in modern times, the Haishang Tijin Guan Jinshi Calligraphy and Painting Society, and served as its president.

Wang Xun excelled in seal script, clerical script, running script, and regular script. His running script and regular script followed the styles of Yan Zhenqing, capturing his spirit and essence, and were further enriched by the Wei stele style. His works were neat and grand, making them suitable for shop signs, which were very popular in Shanghai at the time. Together with his fellow townsman Tang Tuo, Wang Xun wrote many of Shanghai’s shop signs, earning a substantial income. As a “professional calligrapher,” his works often displayed a consistent style, as seen in this couplet.

Translation of couplet:
“The Milky Way serves as a chapter, granting longevity to people; The celestial path invites, bringing fame and honor to the world.”

汪洵（1846—1915），初名学瀚，字子渊，一字渊若，江苏武进（今常州）人。光绪十八年（1892）进士，授翰林院编修，工诗能文。晚年鬻艺上海，发起成立了近代第一个有组织的艺术社团——海上题襟馆金石书画会，并任会长。

汪洵书法篆、隶、行、楷兼能。行书、楷书宗法颜真卿，得其神骨，又参以魏碑，工整大气，很适合做市招，一时风行海上。他和另一位常州同乡唐驼差不多写了大半个上海的招牌，年入润金颇丰，当时影响很大。由于他属于“职业书家”，许多作品风格面貌趋同，此联即是其常见风格。

释文：云汉为章，作人寿考；天衢方聘，名世声华。

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