During the mid-Tang Dynasty, General Wang Wujun governed Jizhou. Known for his martial prowess, he also had a deep appreciation for literary arts. One day, while idly sitting in his official residence, a gatekeeper announced that a scholar sought an audience.
“My name is Liu Yanshi. Knowing you, General, have a refined taste in literature, I take the liberty to present a few volumes of my poems for your perusal and critique,” the scholar said.
Wang Wujun opened the poetry collection and saw the title "Brewing Tea with Meng Jiao at the Wild Spring North of Luo" — he exclaimed, "Sir, you are on such close terms with Dongye, you must be a true recluse of our time. My apologies for not recognizing your worth earlier..." As he read lines like "Autumn river stirs white-capped waves, merchants watch the wind but dare not cross, a thousand boats extinguish fires in the cold midnight, only temple bells echo across the shore" and "In dreams, endless romantic affairs unfold, yet my devoted husband remains unaware," he could not help but slap the table in admiration.
Liu Yanshi thus became the trusted advisor to Wang Wujun.
Wang Wujun loved hunting. The Mangshan Lake south of Jizhou was a maze of waterways and dense reeds, teeming with wild ducks. Mounting his fine steed and carrying a horn bow, he set off for Mangshan with his advisors, servants, and soldiers crowding around him in a grand procession.
Wang Wujun charged ahead, racing along the narrow lakeside path at breakneck speed.
With a sudden flurry of wings, a flock of wild ducks burst from the reeds. General Wu Jun nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and with a sharp twang, the shaft pierced the sky. As the prey thudded to the ground, a servant rushed over and exclaimed, "Congratulations, General! A single arrow has struck down a pair of ducks!" The other attendants immediately chimed in, "Heaven itself guides your arrow!" "Your skill is unmatched in the world!" "Even the legendary archers Yang Youji and Li Guang cannot hope to match your brilliance!"
Amid the cheers of his staff, Wang Wujun said to Liu Yanshi, "My archery is unmatched in the world, and your literary talent is extraordinary. Today, we are like a pair of jade—one of martial arts, one of letters. I now wish to ask you to recite a few lines to honor this grand gathering."
Liu Yanshi, seated on horseback, leaned down to take the brush, dipped it fully in the thick ink from the inkstone handed up by his servant, and after a moment's thought, he swept the brush with effortless grace across the white silk held high by two young attendants, each gripping an end.
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From then on, Wang Wujun valued Liu Yanshi even more. He wrote a memorial recommending Liu Yanshi as magistrate of Zaoqiang County under his jurisdiction. Although Liu Yanshi never took office, people admired his character and called him "Liu of Zaoqiang."
After Liu Yanshi's death, he was buried in Xiangyang. The great poet Pi Rixiu wrote his epitaph, praising him: Among Tang Dynasty poets, first there was Li Bai, then Li He, and next came Liu Yanshi. Liu Yanshi's poetry "carves gold and engraves jade, cages the strange and bizarre, forging each character a hundred times, refining every line a thousand times."
"Bai Duan Qian Lian" describes a meticulous writing attitude, carefully weighing every word to achieve refined and precise prose.
Source: *Pi Rixiu*, "Liu Zaoqiang Stele"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "百锻千炼" came to describe how a meticulous writing attitude, carefully weighing every word to achieve refined and precise prose.