Kuaiyutang tiba 快雨堂題跋

Kuaiyutang tiba 快雨堂題跋 is a book on calligraphy written during the late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Wang Wenzhi 王文治 (1730-1802), courtesy name Yuqing 禹卿, style Menglou 夢樓, from Dantu 丹徒 (today's Zhengjiang 鎮江, Jiangsu), and revised by Wang Chengyi 汪承誼. Wang Wenzhi was reader-in-waiting (shidu 侍讀) of the Hanlin Academy 翰林院, and finally prefect of Lin'an 臨安, Yunnan.

The book of 8 juan length contains descriptive and laudatory statements (ti-ba 題跋) that are usually written on calligraphic works. Fascicles 1 to 6 consist of accompanying words to stele inscriptions and model calligraphies (bei tie 碑帖) from the Tang 唐 (618-907) to the Qing period. The rest of the book, juan 7 to 8, is dedicated to paintings. Wang quoted from dedications and notes on famous pieces of art like the model board Chunhuage tie 淳化閣帖, but also on his own calligraphies with were inspired by the master Dong Qichang 董其昌 (1555-1636). Quite a few ti-ba texts were written by Wang Gu 汪榖, the father of Wang Chengyi. Wang Wenzhi's collection is unique and a superb example of Qing-period artwork inscriptions.

Because Wang was in his later years interested in Buddhism, the text of his book is dotted with expressions from Zen Buddhism. He compares, for example, Jin-period 晉 (265-420) calligraphies with Tathagāta Zen (Rulai chan 如來禪; i.e., the Buddha himself), Tang-period pieces with Bodhisattva Zen (Pusa chan 菩薩禪; i.e., the Bodhisattvas), and such from the Song period 宋 (960-1279) with the Patriarchal Zen (zushi chan 祖師禪), i.e., the historical patriarchs of Zen Buddhism.

The book was first printed in 1831.