Couplet in Five-Character Verse

During the early twentieth century, Hu Shih was recognized as the Father of the Chinese Renaissance. He is known for his literary work, literary criticism, and political commentaries. This couplet is written in a style of seal script, inscribed and signed by Hu Shih. It was most likely written in Hu’s early period, and reads, “After you have read more than ten thousand volumes, your writings could compare favorably with the six classics.” Based on the seal located on the first scroll, this couplet could have been in the collection of Sheng Xuanhuai ???, one of the most influential Chinese government officials and entrepreneurs in the last years of the Qing dynasty, responsible for much of China’s early industrialization and modern education. (“Debating Art: Chinese Intellectuals at the Crossroads,” curated by Cornell PhD candidate Yu Hua Ding with assistance from Elizabeth Emrich and presented at the Johnson Museum February 2-July 8, 2018)