笔墨官司 battle of words
Explanation
指用文字进行的辩论或争执。
Refers to a debate or dispute conducted in writing.
Origin Story
话说清朝乾隆年间，两位大书法家，一位是朝廷重臣纪晓岚，另一位是江南才子李渔。两人都才华横溢，文笔犀利，常常在诗词歌赋上互相较量，彼此心悦诚服。一日，纪晓岚收到李渔寄来的一幅字，字迹隽秀，笔锋老辣，让人拍案叫绝。纪晓岚看后，暗自赞叹李渔的书法造诣之深，却也暗生一计。他提笔写了一首诗，诗中暗藏玄机，字里行间皆是对李渔书法风格的巧妙点评，既有赞赏，又有挑剔。他将诗作寄往江南，李渔收到后，看罢不禁哈哈大笑，提笔写下另一首诗，诗中不仅回应纪晓岚的点评，更巧妙反击，将纪晓岚的诗作风格特点剖析得淋漓尽致。两人你来我往，通过诗词互相切磋，互相欣赏，最终这场“笔墨官司”以双方心服口服为结尾。这便是历史上著名的“笔墨官司”佳话，后世常用以形容文人墨客之间才情过人的文墨较量，既有竞争，亦有欣赏与学习。
During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, two great calligraphers, Ji Xiaolan, a high-ranking court official, and Li Yu, a talented scholar from Jiangnan, often engaged in a friendly competition through poems and calligraphy. One day, Ji Xiaolan received a calligraphy work from Li Yu, which was exquisite and powerful. Ji Xiaolan was impressed but also devised a plan. He wrote a poem subtly commenting on Li Yu's style, both praising and criticizing. Li Yu responded with another poem, cleverly counter-attacking and analyzing Ji Xiaolan's style in detail. Their exchange of poems, a "battle of words," ended with mutual respect and admiration. This became a famous story illustrating the intellectual competition and mutual appreciation among talented scholars and artists.
Usage
常用来比喻双方用文字进行的辩论或争执。
Often used to describe a debate or dispute conducted in writing.
Examples
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这场争论最终演变成一场激烈的笔墨官司。
zhe chang zhenglun zui zhong yanbian cheng yi chang jili de bimo guansi
The debate eventually turned into a fierce battle of words.
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网络上关于此事，又掀起了一场笔墨官司。
wangluoshang guanyu cishi you xianqi le yi chang bimo guansi
A battle of words has broken out on the Internet again about this matter