02 現代書法與王羲之書法差異分析練習(一) 提按用筆V.S.起倒用筆(執筆、搖腕、筆法)
02現代書法與王羲之書法差異分析練習(一) 提按用筆V.S.起倒用筆(執筆、搖腕、筆法)
Work In Progress
University of Virginia: An Overview of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Aesthetics and Calligraphy Studies
[Analysis Exercise on the Differences Between Modern Calligraphy and Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy (Part 1)]
[Lifting and Pressing Brushwork vs. Tilting and Toppling Brushwork]
[Preface]
In the previous class, we established the exemplary goals of calligraphy studies and learned about Zhang Huaiguan’s Yutang Jinjing (Jade Hall Prohibited Classic), which is [the earliest and most systematic and complete record of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy theory in Chinese calligraphy history, and the only calligraphy treatise from the Tang dynasty to the present]. At the end of the text, it summarizes: “In calligraphy, the first priority is brushwork, the second is understanding the momentum, and the third is wrapping and binding. Only when all three are mastered can one truly practice calligraphy. Sticking to just one path means one has not yet grasped it. … Only by understanding these three can one begin to speak of calligraphy.” Zhang Huaiguan clearly points out that [the three essential elements of calligraphy] are the foundational skills that calligraphers in the Wang Xizhi system must learn to achieve creative mastery.
If we observe from the perspective of traditional calligraphy, the formation of calligraphic style is fundamentally based on “calligraphic technique,” followed by the calligrapher’s aesthetic cultivation (“calligraphic art”) and personal character and inner cultivation (“calligraphic spirit”). Thus, Chinese calligraphy is a unique visual art form through which calligraphers convey their thoughts, inspirations, and emotions, deeply cherished by the public. However, after the 1990s, influenced by “abstract expressionism in visual art,” modern calligraphy gradually evolved toward characteristics of “painterly, expressive, design-oriented, conceptual, and composite” qualities. Works became “colorful, ethereal, and uniquely novel,” capturing the visual focus of viewers and forming a popular trend.
This modern calligraphy, which emphasizes “freedom in writing and individual expression,” with increasingly simplified brush techniques, quick learning, and vast creative potential, easily wins the affection of audiences. Beginners may initially enjoy the striking visual effects, but after five or ten years, the lack of foundational skills in “thought and technique” becomes apparent, leading to a superficial grasp of the art. Without mastering the essential elements of calligraphy, one remains outside the gates of traditional calligraphy, unable to truly enter its depths. While one may “know the appearance” of calligraphic beauty in form and line, they remain ignorant of the underlying principles. This is something beginners should carefully consider!
As early as 1978, Chinese calligraphy theorist Professor Qiu Zhenzhong published a paper titled “Several Issues on the Evolution of Brush Techniques: The Drawbacks of Lifting and Pressing in Regular Script and Their Remedies.” He pointed out: [The standardized brush techniques and dignified structure of Tang dynasty regular script made it the ideal model for later generations, replacing other works. The lifting and pressing techniques, along with the accompanying pauses and exaggerations at the ends and turns of strokes, quickly infiltrated the brush techniques of other scripts.] … From the Southern Song to the Yuan and Ming dynasties, brush techniques continued to develop along this path. During the Qing dynasty, when the “imperial examination style” (guan’ge ti) became prevalent, the latent shortcomings of lifting and pressing became fully exposed: “strokes became severely formulaic, lines monotonous and lacking variation; the ends of strokes were overly complex, while the middle sections were dry and weak.” Due to the long-term restriction of brush movement to lifting and pressing, the development of brush techniques became increasingly narrow. In fact, after the establishment of regular script brush techniques, sensitive artists gradually realized the serious impact of simplified brush techniques on calligraphy. To counteract the influence of regular script brush techniques, artists made relentless efforts. There were two main approaches to pursuing variation in brush techniques: “One, represented by Mi Fu, involved learning brush techniques from earlier generations, [incorporating twisting into lifting and pressing] to enrich the spatial movement of the brush. The other, represented by Huang Tingjian, drew inspiration from life and natural phenomena, [adjusting the trajectory and speed of movement without changing the lifting and pressing technique]. Both efforts are commendable, but they also have their limitations.”
Professor Qiu’s research indeed addresses many of the doubts in calligraphy studies and teaching. There are two key questions here:
1. Did Tang dynasty regular script have standardized brush techniques? Were lifting and pressing the standardized techniques of that time? If we already know the drawbacks of lifting and pressing, were the brush techniques of Wang Xizhi’s successors in the early Tang, such as Zhi Yong, Yu Shinan, and Chu Suiliang, and in the high Tang, such as Zhang Xu and his disciples Yan Zhenqing, Xu Hao, and Wu Tong, also based on lifting and pressing? If not, what were the brush techniques of the Wang Xizhi system? Are there calligraphy treatises that can serve as references for learning?
2. After the late Tang, Song dynasty calligraphers like Mi Fu and Huang Tingjian made efforts to pursue variations in brush techniques, but the core remained “lifting and pressing,” which continued to influence modern calligraphy. The question is, if Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy did not use “lifting and pressing” but instead employed other techniques, how can modern calligraphers teach students to “know the appearance and understand the principles” when copying works like Zhi Yong’s Thousand Character Classic in Regular and Cursive Script or Wang Xizhi’s Huangting Jing, Lanting Xu, and Seventeen Posts?
This is the origin of the following three classes on the theme: “Analysis Exercises on the Differences Between Modern Calligraphy and Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy.” Today, we will first discuss [Lifting and Pressing vs. Tilting and Toppling Brushwork]. Due to limited class time, the following will only provide a summary of key points and demonstration exercises.
I. Analysis of Differences
Since ancient times, learning calligraphy has always started with “brush techniques,” and the main system of brush techniques comes from Zhang Zhi, Zhong Yao, and later the universally recognized innovator and inheritor, the Sage of Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi. Especially during the high Tang period, the calligraphy theories of Sun Guoting’s Shu Pu (Calligraphy Manual) and Zhang Huaiguan’s Yutang Jinjing (Jade Hall Prohibited Classic) summarized Wang Xizhi’s techniques.
The following analysis of the differences between ancient and modern “brushwork” is based on the above ancient sources. For modern calligraphy, we refer to the Secrets of Calligraphy Practice by Jiang He, a Qing dynasty scholar appointed by Emperor Qianlong, which lists the familiar lifting and pressing techniques for horizontal and vertical strokes (as shown below).
3. Brush Techniques
[Zhang Xu’s Brush Techniques in the Wang Xizhi System]
[The Relationship Between the Eight Principles and the Nine Uses: The Eight Principles are Public, the Nine Uses are Secretly Passed Down]
According to Han Fangming’s (785-804 AD) Shou Bi Yao Shuo (Essentials of Brush Techniques), which records the teachings of his teacher Cui Miao: “Although Lord Qinghe (Cui Miao) is said to have passed down brush techniques from Senior Official Zhang Xu, what the world has inherited from Zhang Xu’s methods are only the ‘Eight Principles of Yong,’ followed by the ‘Five Ways of Holding the Brush.’ Beyond these, nothing else has been heard of before.” He also said, “Fangming received these teachings from Lord Qinghe. When asked about the origin of the Eight Principles, they began with the creation of regular script (zhenshu). From the Later Han’s Cui Ziyu, through Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi, the teachings were passed down to the Monk Zhi Yong, and then to Zhang Xu, who ‘first expanded the Eight Principles, then developed the Five Momentum Techniques, and finally perfected the Nine Uses.’ Thus, all characters are encompassed within these principles, and the wonders of ink art are all achieved through them.” From these records, we know that the Yutang Jinjing contains the complete content of Zhang Xu’s brush techniques, with the ‘Eight Principles of Yong’ made public, while Zhang Xu’s self-created ‘Five Momentum Techniques and Nine Uses’ were only passed down within the master-disciple lineage.
(1). [The Eight Principles of Yong: Wrist-Shaking Brush Techniques for Single Strokes]
From the Yutang Jinjing, the names of the Eight Principles of Yong are all verbs, and the continuous meaning of the口诀 (mnemonic口诀) suggests that the Eight Principles primarily describe “the method of using the wrist to write single strokes,” and secondarily, “the shape and posture of the strokes.” For example: “The ‘ce’ stroke must not be flat (wrist to the right), the ‘le’ stroke must not lie flat (wrist in the middle), the ‘nu’ stroke must not be straight (wrist to the left), the ‘ti’ stroke must curl the tip (wrist rotates), the ‘ce’ stroke must turn the brush (wrist to the right), the ‘lue’ stroke must have the brush tip [left out and sharp] (wrist left then right), the ‘zhuo’ stroke must lie flat and quickly cover (wrist right then left), the ‘zhe’ stroke must flick the brush (wrist shakes left and right).” The Eight Principles cover wrist movements in “left, middle, right, up, down, and rotation.” Additionally, among the Eight Principles, five are short strokes that can be executed with a single motion, while the remaining “nu,” “lue,” and “zhe” are long strokes that allow for wrist movement to beautify and vary the lines.
(2). [The Nine Uses of Brush Techniques: Brush Techniques for Different Stages of Stroke Execution]
The Yutang Jinjing emphasizes when describing the Nine Uses of Brush Techniques (hereafter referred to as the Nine Uses): “There is also the method of rising and falling under the wrist when using the brush. When used, it creates momentum, and the characters take on no fixed form.” The “Nine Uses” were designed by Zhang Xu based on the “conical structure of the brush: the tip (line) + the side (line)” and the “natural physiological function of the hand controlling the brush: holding the brush + shaking the wrist to tilt and topple.” They are brush techniques designed to achieve the desired “form and momentum” and “adjust the brush tip” during the “start, movement, stop, and turning” stages of stroke execution.
“Brushwork” is the foundation of calligraphy, and “brush techniques” are the core. They are also the essence of creating the aesthetic visual “sense of quality” in calligraphy, encompassing the elements of “sinews, joints, bones, flesh, skin, and blood.” Throughout history, calligraphers have tirelessly sought to learn from the best, pursuing master teachers to learn brush techniques. There are two famous examples in calligraphy history of the pursuit of brush techniques. The first is Yan Zhenqing (709-785), who, along with “Ouyang Xun (557-641), Liu Gongquan (778-865), and Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322),” is known as one of the “Four Great Masters of Regular Script.” Born into a scholarly family, Yan passed the imperial examination at the age of 26 and initially served as a proofreader in the court. At that time, his calligraphy was already highly praised, but he knew that without guidance from a master, he would not progress further. Thus, in 743 AD, he studied under Zhang Xu for two years but received no instruction. Later, when he was appointed as a county magistrate in Liquan, he resigned and followed Zhang Xu again to study. In 746 AD (at the age of 37), he finally wrote Explaining Zhang Xu’s Twelve Meanings of Brush Techniques and recorded: “After resigning from my post in Liquan, I specially went to Luoyang to visit Senior Official Zhang Xu and requested to learn brush techniques from him.”
The second example is Huaisu, who is equally famous as Zhang Xu and is known as the “Mad Zhang and Drunk Su.” He asked Yan Zhenqing to write a preface for his collection of poems, Songs of Huaisu’s Cursive Script: “Cursive script reached its peak with Senior Official Zhang Xu of Wu Commandery. Although his nature was wild and unrestrained, surpassing all before and after, his regular script was precise and detailed, truly authentic. In my early years, I often associated with him and repeatedly received his encouragement and teachings on brush techniques. However, my talent was weak, and I was burdened with worldly affairs, so I could not diligently practice and thus achieved nothing. Reflecting on his words, how could I ever regain them? Suddenly seeing your work, it is extraordinary and swift, startling people as if returning to the past. If you had received his personal guidance and absorbed his methods, then who else but you could have entered the inner chamber!”
Yan Zhenqing’s preface points out that “Huaisu’s wild cursive script lacks the detailed brush techniques of Zhang Xu’s regular script. If he had received Zhang Xu’s personal guidance, he would have absorbed his methods and entered the inner chamber—no one but Huaisu could have done so!” Later, according to Lu Yu’s Biography of Huaisu: “Huaisu realized that learning without a teacher is like trying to enter a house without going through the door. Thus, he sought out his cousin, Wu Tong, a military officer in Qiantang and a student of Zhang Xu, to teach him brush techniques.” From comparing his late works, such as Small Cursive Thousand Character Classic and On Calligraphy, with his early Autobiographical Postscript, we can see that Huaisu’s later works exhibit the brushwork and character forms reminiscent of Wang Xizhi’s Seventeen Posts.
