Wang Xizhi "sat by a pond practicing calligraphy, and all the pond's water turned to ink." The monk Zhi Yong spent 15 years in his attic without coming down in order to perfect his penmanship. He filled five big baskets with worn-out brush tips ....
王羲之「臨池學書，池水盡墨」；魏晉南北朝僧人智永為了練字，十五年不下樓，報廢的筆頭堆滿五大籮筐… …。