《蘭亭序》是事件、文章與字帖的集合體。雖然書法成就其最終意義,但事件與文章的影響是它進入經典世界的條件,而傳奇般的出場與皇權的支持則是其傳播的重要助力。理解這件存世時間有限但卻能名垂千古的作品,要義在于對書法臨摹精神內涵的分析。臨書不只是原作形的再現,而且是其神的傳承。原作與臨作之間是一對多的關系。臨作不僅讓原作的典范性得以實現,同時形成譜系式擴展的傳統。原作與作者王羲之的經典地位最終是由臨作的品質與數量造成的。《蘭亭》帖作為文物,超越一般供瞻仰的價值,系無數臨寫者與古人直接神交的精神蹊徑。因此,即便真跡毀滅,懷疑不斷,其作為"斯文"的精神碑石永存。

Wang Xizhi’s Lanting xu( Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion) is a combination of event,literary work,and calligraphical copybook. Although it is due to its calligraphical achievement that this masterpiece was ultimately remembered,the importance of its other two aspects should not be overlooked because they constitute the conditions for its entry into the classical world. In addition,the legendary emergence of this work and the support of imperial power aided its dissemination. The key to understanding this phenomenon—it was ephemeral yet crowned with eternal glory—lies in the spiritual connotations of the calligraphical practice of imitating the original. Generally speaking,the copy is not merely a reproduction of the original work,but more importantly the transmission of its spirit. The relationship between the original and the copy is one-to-many. The copy not only makes the original become the exemplar,but also forms the tradition of its genealogical expansion in the sense that both the status of the original and that of the author depend on the quality and quantity of the copies. Overall,the value of Lanting xu does not lie in its being an object for public admiration as a cultural relic but rather in its being the very spiritual path that allows the copyists to communicate with the author,enabling its everlasting significance despite the loss of the authentic work.