Ouyang Xun

Lore & Background

Ouyang Xun was born in Changsha into a family of government officials. He proved a gifted student, reading extensively across the classical canon. Serving the Sui dynasty as Imperial Doctor in 611, he later held posts under the Tang dynasty as censor and as a scholar at the Hongwen Academy, where he taught calligraphy. He was a principal contributor to the *Yiwen Leiju* encyclopedia. Appointed Imperial Calligrapher, he inscribed several major imperial steles. His most famous work is the Stele in the Jiucheng Palace, executed in regular script, a style in which he excelled. He was regarded as both a cultured scholar and a government official, and is counted among the Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang, alongside Yu Shinan, Xue Ji, and Chu Suiliang. He notably wrote the inscription for the Kaiyuan Tongbao cash coin, one of the most influential coins in Chinese history, whose calligraphic style also influenced coinages in Japan, Sogdia, and Vietnam. The logo of the Japanese newspaper *Asahi Shimbun* uses words extracted from his work, the Zongsheng Temple Inscription. Historically, Ouyang was known for a legendary monkey-like ugliness paired with near-supernatural intellect. These traits were lampooned in an anonymous late 7th-century tale, “A Supplement to Jiang Zong’s Biography of a White Ape.” The story recounts how the beautiful wife of General Ouyang He—Ouyang Xun’s historical father—is kidnapped by a magic white ape. With the help of other captive women, the general kills the ape by striking its only weak spot below the navel. Before dying, the ape reveals the general’s wife is pregnant and begs that the child be spared. The tale ends with the birth of an unnamed son a year later, implying Ouyang Xun was the unnatural offspring of the general’s wife and the magic white ape.

Reader's Guide

Ouyang Xun’s significance in the field of calligraphy stems from his mastery of regular script and his official role as Imperial Calligrapher for the early Tang dynasty. In this capacity, he personally inscribed several major imperial steles, the most famous being the Stele in the Jiucheng Palace. He was also responsible for writing the inscription on the Kaiyuan Tongbao cash coin, a design that became one of the most influential coin types in Chinese history and subsequently inspired calligraphic styles on coinage in Japan, Sogdia, and Vietnam. Beyond his calligraphic output, Ouyang Xun was a cultured scholar and government official, serving as a censor and a teacher of calligraphy at the Hongwen Academy. He was a principal contributor to the encyclopedic work *Yiwen Leiju*. His reputation as a calligrapher placed him among the Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang, alongside Yu Shinan, Xue Ji, and Chu Suiliang. The logo of the Japanese newspaper *Asahi Shimbun* uses characters extracted from his Zongsheng Temple Inscription. In the broader cultural context, Ouyang Xun was historically noted for his legendary monkey-like ugliness and almost supernatural intellect. These attributes were lampooned in an anonymous late 7th-century tale, “A Supplement to Jiang Zong’s Biography of a White Ape,” which implies that he was the unnatural offspring of his mother and a magic white ape.

Did You Know?

• Ouyang Xun's calligraphy appears in the logo of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
• He inscribed the Kaiyuan Tongbao cash coin, which influenced coinage in Japan, Sogdia, and Vietnam.
• A late 7th-century tale implied he was the son of a magic white ape.
• He was one of the Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang.