据说，“难得糊涂”四个字是在山东莱州的云峰山写的。有一年郑板桥专程至此观郑文公碑，流连忘返，天黑了，不得已借宿于山间茅屋。屋主为一儒雅老翁，自命“糊涂老人”，出语不俗。他的室中陈列了一块方桌般大小的砚台，石质细腻，镂刻精良，郑板桥十分叹赏。老人请郑板桥题字以便刻于砚背。板桥认为老人必有来历，便题写了“难得糊涂”四字，用了“康熙秀才雍正举人乾隆进士”的方印。 因砚台地，尚有许多空白，板桥说老先生应该写一段跋语。老人便写了“得美石难，得顽石尤难，由美石而转入顽石更难。美于中，顽于外，藏野人之庐，不入宝贵之门也。”他用了一块方印，印上的字是“院试第一，乡试第二，殿试第三。”板桥一看大惊，知道老人是一位隐退的官员。有感于糊涂老人的命名，见砚背上还有空隙，便也补写了一段话：“聪明难，糊涂尤难，由聪明面转入糊涂更难。放一著，退一步，当下安心，非图后来报也。” It is said that, the phrase of “难得糊涂”is written by Zhen Banqiao on a stone of Yunfeng Laizhou Shandong province. One year Zhen made a special trip to a stele written by Zhen wengong, it was so attractive that he forgot to leave until the night. Forced by the situation, he decided to spend the night in a mountain hut. The owner was a refined man, self-proclaimed “confused elderly”, a special phrase. There was a square table-sized ink-stone, carved well in his showcases. Zhen admired it very much. The owner begged zhen for inscription engraved on the stone’s back. Zhen thought the owner must be some one particular, so he wrote the phrase “难得糊涂”with the square print, written with “Xiucai kangxi Juren Yongzheng Jinshi Qianlong”