《扑朔迷离的世界：凌鼎年微型小说选》：
Nobody can escape the ravages of time and nobody is free from suffering sickness. Tang, who had just celebrated his 7oth birthday, already felt he could not do what he would have liked to do. He thought aloud： "It seems my calligraphy is past its prime. At last it has begun to go downhill！
Tang realized that he had reached the age when he should have someone to inherit his skills, so he decided to take an apprentice. Several calligraphy lovers had asked him to be their mentor but he had flatly refused and therefore didn't yet have any formally inducted apprentice.
There was a historical reason why he had never accepted anybody as his student.
He was recognized as a child prodigy when he was very young. At the age of 20, his skill in calligraphy stunned senior calligraphers. Some well-meaning people suggested that he should train und.er Ming shaoqi, a veteran calligrapher of Loucheng. But he refused disdainfully. Young and arrogant, he did not think Ming's calligraphic skills were better than his; so why should he acknowledge Ming as his master, he thought.
Tang's haughtiness made him suffer a great loss. Although with practice his calligraphy had become more and more distinctive and his skill had become more and more mature, he was still not admitted to Loucheng's calligraphic circles. His calligraphy was nothing more than a means of personal enjoyment.
Then someone gave him some advice, saying： "In China's painting and calligraphy circles, it is a longstand ing custom to give priority to seniors in the hierarchy, treatment and other things. lf you don't have a renowned calligrapher as your mentor, you can't claim to have received training from anyone of standing. In that case, who will acknowledge you?"
Tang was aware that it was meaningless to think that he could establish himself by his own genuine ability. No one would take it seriously. So he reluctantly acknowledged Wu Binghe, a leading figure among calligraphers in Shanghai, as his mentor.
Wu had a high opinion of Tang and often took him to major gatherings of calligraphers where Tang could get acquainted with senior and renowned calligraphers. Thanks to Wu's introduction and recommendation, Tang quickly rose to fame and began to make his mark.
As he saw it, in terms of calligraphic skills, his mentor had barely given him any guidance. However, in all fairness, Wu was good at scouting talent like Bole, a legendary connoisseur of horses during the Spring and Autumn Period （7z2-48i BC） and had a lot to do with his becoming famous. Tang felt extremely grateful to Wu and called him "my beloved teacher . Nevertheless, from his experience he understood the real meaning of the master-student relationship and refused to accept anybody as his student.
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