Chinese writing and calligraphy

CHINESE LANGUAGE LI Suitable for college and high school students and those learning on their own, this fully illustrated coursebook provides comprehensive instruction in the history and practical techniques of Chinese calligraphy No previous knowledge of the language is required to follow the text or complete the lessons The work covers three major areas:1) descriptions of Chinese characters and their components, including stroke types, layout patterns, and indications of sound and meaning; 2) basic brush techniques; and 3) the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese calligraphy—all of which are crucial to understanding and appreciating this art form Students practice brush writing as they progress from tracing to copying to free-hand writing Model characters are marked to indicate meaning and stroke order, and well-known model phrases are shown in various script types, allowing students to practice different calligraphic styles Beginners will find the author’s advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in writing brush strokes invaluable CHINESE WRITING AND CALLIGRAPHY will be welcomed by both students and instructors in need of an accessible text on learning the fundamentals of the art of writing Chinese characters WENDAN LI is associate professor of Chinese language and linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Cover illustration: Small Seal Script by Wu Rangzhi, Qing dynasty, and author’s Chinese writing brushes and brush stand Cover design: Wilson Angel UNIVERSITY of HAWAI‘I PRESS Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888 LI-ChnsWriting_cvrMech.indd 4/19/10 4:11:27 PM Chinese Writing and Calligraphy We n d a n Li Chinese Writing and Calligraphy A Latitude 20 Book University of Hawai‘i Press Honolulu © 2009 University of Hawai‘i Press All rights reserved 14â•—â•—â•— 13â•—â•—â•— 12â•—â•—â•— 11â•—â•—â•— 10â•—â•—â•— 09â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•—â•— â•—â•—â•— 5â•—â•—â•— 4â•—â•—â•— 3â•—â•—â•— 2â•—â•—â•— Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Li, Wendan Chinese writing and calligraphy / Wendan Li p cm “A Latitude 20 book.” Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-3364-0 (pbk : alk paper) ISBN-10: 0-8248-3364-3 (pbk : alk paper) Calligraphy, Chinese Chinese characters Calligraphy, Chinese—Technique I Title NK3634.A2L4975 2010 745.6’19951—dc22 2009047054 University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources Designed by Julie Matsuo-Chun Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc Contents ix P R E FA C E C H A P T E R INTRODUCTION 20 38 50 2 This Book 3 The Chapters Writing and Calligraphy in Chinese Society 16 The Artistic Qualities of Chinese Writing 18 Abilities That Can Be Acquired by Practicing Calligraphy 19 To Learners with No Background in the Chinese Language 19 Discussion Questions C H A P T E R WRITING INSTRUMENTS AND TRAINING PROCEDURES 20 The Four Treasures in a Chinese Study 27 The Training Process 32 Getting Ready to Write Moisture, Pressure, and Speed 37 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 36 C H A P T E R BRUSH TECHNIQUES AND BASIC STROKES I 38 Brush Techniques (1): Pressing Down the Brush and Bringing It Up 40 An Overview of the Major Stroke Types 42 Stroke Type 1: The Dot 45 Stroke Type 2: The Horizontal Line 46 Stroke Type 3: The Vertical Line 47 Tracing 48 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice C H A P T E R BRUSH TECHNIQUES AND BASIC STROKES II 50 Brush Techniques (2): Center Tip versus Side Tip Brush Techniques (3): Revealed Tip versus Concealed Tip 52 Stroke Type 4: The Down-Left Slant 54 Stroke Type 5: The Down-Right Slant 55 Stroke Type 6: The Right-Up Tick 56 Chinese Culture (1): Chinese Names 60 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 51 c ont ent s 61 73 84 CHAP T E R BASIC STROKES III AND STROKE ORDER 61 Stroke Type 7: The Turn 62 Stroke Type 8: The Hook 65 Summary of Major Stroke Types 66 Suggestions for Beginners to Avoid Common Pitfalls 67 Stroke Order 71 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice CHAP T E R THE FORMATION OF CHINESE CHARACTERS 73 The Nature of Chinese Written Signs 75 Categories of Characters 80 The Complexity and Developmental Sequence of the Categories 81 83 Chinese Culture (2): Dates in Chinese According to the Western Calendar Discussion Questions and Writing Practice CHAP T E R THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF CHARACTERS AND THE AESTHETICS OF WRITING The Structure of Characters 84 89 Aesthetic Principles 100 96 Chinese Culture (3): What Is Written in Chinese Calligraphy? 98 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice CHAP T E R THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY I: THE SEAL SCRIPTS 115 100 An Overview of Scripts and Styles 102 The Great Seal Scripts 109 The Small Seal Script 114 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice CHAP T E R THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY II: THE CLERICAL SCRIPT 129 115 The Clerical Script 119 Writing the Clerical Script Chinese Culture (4): The Chinese Traditional Dating Method 128 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 123 CHAP T E R THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY III: THE REGULAR SCRIPT 129 The Regular Script 130 The Regular and Clerical Scripts Compared 131 138 Masters of the Regular Script Discussion Questions and Writing Practice vi c ont ent s 140 CHAP T E R 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY IV: THE RUNNING AND CURSIVE STYLES 155 175 185 141 The Running Style 147 The Cursive Style 152 Writing the Running and Cursive Styles Concluding Remarks on the Development of Chinese Calligraphy 154 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 153 CHAP T E R THE ART OF COMPOSITION 157 Components of a Calligraphy Piece Chinese Culture (5): Chinese Seals 173 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 166 CHAP T E R THE YIN AND YANG OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY Diversity in Harmony Dialectics in the Art of Calligraphy 180 Appreciation of Calligraphy 183 Chinese Calligraphy and Health 185 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 175 178 CHAP T E R BY WA5Y OF CONCLUSION: CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY IN THE MODERN ERA 186 Modern Developments in Chinese Calligraphy Chinese Calligraphy in the West 195 What Is Chinese Calligraphy? 197 Discussion Questions and Writing Practice 192 199 APPE N D I X : B R U S H W R I T I N G E X E R C I S E S 243 APPE N D I X : P I N Y I N P R O N U N C I AT I O N G U I D E 247 APPE N D I X : C H I N E S E D Y N A S T I C T I M E L I N E 251 NOTE S 255 GLOS S A RY ( E N G L I S H – C H I N E S E – P I N Y I N ) 259 REFE R E N C E S 263 BOOK S I N E N G L I S H F O R F U R T H E R S T U D Y 265 INDE X vii Preface This book is a collection of teaching materials I accumulated over the past ten years, during which I taught the course Chinese Culture through Calligraphy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The materials and the order of topics were tested and revised throughout these years They reflect special concerns in teaching Chinese calligraphy to college students in the West who may not have any background in Chinese culture and the Chinese language For these students, the instructor needs to be meticulous not only in demonstrating the details of the techniques, but also in explaining cultural manifestations, significance, and differences The goal is to make the traditional Chinese art reverberate on the harp of the American brain, which has been tuned to the scales of Western culture I had rich resources to draw from when writing this book The long history of Chinese culture, language, and calligraphy and the numerous scholars who studied and wrote about Chinese calligraphy or simply practiced the art were a joy to read about and to reflect on I learned a great deal from the works of many other scholars who are pioneers in introducing Chinese culture to Western readers and who wrote extensively about Chinese art and calligraphy in English Notable among them are Yee Chiang, Yuho Tseng, and Da-Wei Kwo I am deeply grateful to the late Tsung ix re f e re nces lidai mingren mobao dadian 龙之舞—中国历代名人墨宝大典 (Dancing of dragons—masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy) Beijing: Hongqi Chubanshe, 1997 Pearson, James L Shamanism and the Ancient Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Archaeology New York: Altamira, 2002 Sun Jiafu 孙稼阜 Caoshu shijiang 草书十讲 (Ten lectures on Cursive Script) Shanghai: Shanghai Shuhua Chubanshe, 2004 Tang Huisheng “Opposition and Unity: A Study of Shamanistic Dualism in Tibetan and Chinese Prehistoric Art.” Rock Art Research 23.2:217–227 (2006) Tseng, Yu-ho A History of Chinese Calligraphy Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1993 Watts, Alan Tao: The Watercourse Way New York: Pantheon Books, 1975 Welch, Holmes Taoism: The Parting of the Way Boston: Beacon Press, 1965 Xiong Bingming 熊秉明 Zhongguo shufa lilun tixi 中國書法理論體系 (Theoretical systems of Chinese calligraphy) Taipei: Xiongshi Tushu, 1999 Zhou Jian 周健 Hanzi jiaoxue lilun yu fangfa 漢字教學理論與方法 (Theories and practices of Chinese character teaching) Beijing: Beijing Daxue Chubanshe, 2007 Zhu Tianshu 朱天曙 Zhuanshu shijiang 篆书十讲 (Ten lectures on the Seal Script) Shanghai: Shanghai Shuhua Chubanshe, 2004 257 Books in English for Further Study Bai, Qianshen Fu Shan’s World: The Transformation of Chinese Calligraphy in the Seventeenth Century Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2003 Billeter, Jean Francois The Chinese Art of Writing New York: Skira Rizzoli, 1990 Chang, Ch’ung-ho, and Hans H Frankel Two Chinese Treatises on Calligraphy New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1995 Chang, Joseph, and Qianshen Bai In Pursuit of Heavenly Harmony: Paintings and Calligraphy by Bada Shanren from the estate of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, in association with Weatherhill, Inc., 2003 Chang, Léon Long-yien, and Peter Miller Four Thousand Years of Chinese Calligraphy Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990 Farrer, Anne The Brush Dances and the Ink Sings: Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy from the British Museum London: South Bank Centre, 1990 Fazzioli, Edoardo Chinese Calligraphy: From Pictograph to Ideogram: The History of 214 Essential Chinese/Japanese Characters New York: Abbeville Press, 1987 Fu, Shen Traces of the Brush: Studies in Chinese Calligraphy In collaboration with Marilyn W Fu, Mary G Neill, and Mary Jane Clark New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977 Huang, Quanxin A Self-Study Course in Seal Script Beijing: Sinolingua, 1998 259 book s i n e ng l i s h f or fu r t h er s t u dy Lai, T C Chinese Calligraphy: An Introduction Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975 Ledderose, Lothar Mi Fu and the Classical Tradition of Chinese Calligraphy Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979 Li, Leyi Tracing the Roots of Chinese Characters: Five Hundred Cases Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press, 1994 Liu, Shi-yee Straddling East and West: Lin Yutang, a Modern Literatus: The Lin Yutang Family Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Edited by Maxwell K Hearn New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007 Murck, Alfreda, and Wen C Fong, eds Words and Images: Chinese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991 Sturman, Peter Charles Mi Fu: Style and the Art of Calligraphy in Northern Song China New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997 Sullivan, Michael The Three Perfections: Chinese Painting, Poetry, and Calligraphy New York: G Braziller, 1980 Unger, J Marshall Ideogram: Chinese Characters and the Myth of Disembodied Meaning Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2004 Wang, Fangyu Introduction to Chinese Cursive Script New Haven, CT: Institute of Far Eastern Languages, Yale University, 1958 Wu, Jianhsin The Way of Chinese Characters: The Origin of Four Hundred Essential Words Boston: Cheng and Tsui, 2007 Yao, Min-Chih The Influence of Chinese and Japanese Calligraphy on Mark Tobey (1890–1976) San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center, 1983 Yin, John Jing-hua Fundamentals of Chinese characters New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006 260 Index center tip technique, 50–51, 53 character size, 31, 32, 144; of inscriptions, 160 Chinese dating method, 123–126 Chinese lunar calendar, 161 Chinese names, 56–60 Chinese zodiac, 127, 172 civil service examinations, 10–13, 133 Clerical Script, 101, 115–122, 130 Clerical Transformation, 118, 196 composition of a piece, 155–164, 170 compound characters, 75, 86-88 concealed tip technique, 51–53, 178 Confucianism, 57, 97, 134, 175 copying, 28, 30–31; in Running and Cursive Styles, 152 couplets, 6–7 creation of Chinese characters, See also Cang Jie abdomen, 32, 70 abstract art, 192, 193 adjustment of strokes, 88, 95 alphabetic writing, 16 appreciation (of calligraphy), 180–183 balance, 91–93 binary oppositions, 176–178 borrowing, 78, 116 brain (and calligraphy), 18 breathing (when writing), 35 Bronze Script, 107 brush, 21–23, 36, 39, 195; in modern calligraphy, 190 brush grip, 34 brush tip, 50 Cai Lun, 25, 116 Cang Jie, 5, 102 261 i nd ex ink making, 23, 26–27 inscriptions, 21, 157, 160–166 intaglio (seal), 172 Cursive Style, 42, 102, 140, 147–152 curved lines, 65 Daoism, 175, 178, 180, 185 dating a piece, 161–162 dialectics (of calligraphy), 176–178 direction of writing See text arrangement dot (stroke), 42–44; in Clerical Script, 122 down-left slant (stroke), 52–54, 91; in Clerical Script, 120 down-right slant (stroke), 54–56, 91; in Clerical Script, 121 lifted wrist, 33 Liu Gongquan, 31, 134–136 location (of work), 162 logographs, 74 main text (of a piece), 96–98, 157–160 meditation, 185 model characters, 3, 31, 32, 66 modern calligraphy, 187, 191 moisture, 36 multiple-component characters See compound characters Emperor Huizong See Song Huizong eye (use of), 31, 35 finger positions See brush grip flow of energy, 52, 70, 141, 143, 147, 149, 152, 177, 182, 184 formation of Chinese characters, 2, 17 name of recipient, 163–164 number of characters in Chinese, 17, 75 number of strokes in characters, 17, 67–69 general-to-specific pattern, 57, 82, 126, 162 generational names, 56, 57 given names, 58-60 Great Seal Script, 100–108 grid paper, 30 ground calligraphy, 15, 185, 187 painting (Chinese), 13, 22, 24, 38, 138, 157, 190, 192 paper, 3, 25–26, 35, 116, 168; in modern calligraphy, 190 personal names, See also given names pictographs, 73–77, 80, 196 posture, writing, 32–34 pressing and lifting, 38–40, 66 pressure (on brush), 37, 117 hard-pen calligraphy, 147, 187 health (and calligraphy), 15, 185 hook (stroke), 62–64 horizontal line (stroke), 41, 45–46, 52, 65, 93, 94, 95; in Clerical Script, 119; in small seal, 112 Huai Su, 151 Qi (life force), 177 Regular Script, 36, 42, 71, 85, 102, 139; with hard pen, 188 relief (seal), 172 revealed tip technique, 51, 52, 178 rhythm, 178, 179 right-up tick (stroke), 55–56 Running Style, 42, 71, 102, 140–147 indicatives, 77 ink, 23–25, 35, 36, 149; in modern calligraphy,Â�190 ink stone, 26–27, 32 262 i nd ex tracing, 28, 29–30, 47; in Running and Cursive Styles, 152 training procedure, 3, 27–32 translation (or transliteration) of Western names, 59–60 tuft, 21, 23 turn (stroke), 61–62; in Clerical Script, 122 twelve-year cycle See Chinese zodiac script styles, 153; for inscriptions, 160; for learning, 2, 42 seals, 157, 164–174; seal engraving, 171– 173; seal types, 171 semantic compounds, 77 semantic element in characters See semantic-phonetic compounds semantic-phonetic compounds, 78–80, 116 shape of characters, 108; in Clerical Script, 118; in Regular Script, 130; in Small Seal, 110, 113 Shell-and-Bone Script, 76, 102–107, 196 side tip (technique), 50–51 signature, 56, 162 single-component characters, 75, 85 sixty-year cycle, 123–126 Slender Gold, 13, 137 Small Seal Script, 9, 69–70, 101 Song Huizong, 136–138 sound element in characters, 78–79 space management, 157, 158, 182 strokes, 17, 40–42, 65; in Small Seal, 110–112 stroke count See number of strokes in characters stroke linking, 141–144, 148 stroke order, 48, 67–71, 143 surnames, 57–58 suspended wrist, 33 vertical line (stroke), 41, 46–47, 52, 64– 66, 69, 91–95; in Clerical Script, 120; in Small Seal, 112 Wang Xizhi, 3, 31, 66, 131–132, 145 water calligraphy See ground calligraphy wave line in Clerical Script, 120 Western calligraphy, 6, 16, 17 wild cursive, 149, 150 wrist, 32–33 writing hand, 33, 66 writing space, 32 writing speed, 37 Xu Shen, 75 Yan Zhenqing, 31, 132–134, 188, 189 yang (seal) See relief (seal) yin (seal) See intaglio (seal) yin and yang, 175–181; yong ("eternity"), 65 text arrangement, 17, 48, 108, 144, 158 thickness of stroke, 38, 65, 110, 112, 116, 117 Zhang Xu, 149 263 About the Author Wendan Li is associate professor of Chinese language and linguistics in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill She has taught a course entitled Chinese Culture through Calligraphy for eight years and has conducted workshops and presented papers at national and international conferences on course design and teaching Chinese calligraphy to American college students Li is currently on the board of the American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education, of which she is a past president She co-chaired the 5th International Conference on East Asian Calligraphy Education held in Hiroshima, Japan, in 2006 Li has also written Topic Chains in Chinese–A Discourse Analysis and Applications in Language Teaching, has co-edited East Asian Calligraphy Education, and is published regularly in academic journals on Chinese language teaching Production Notes for Li Chinese Writing and Calligraphy Cover design by Wilson Angel Text design and composition by Julie Matsuo-Chun with text in Bembo and display in Univers Printing and binding by Sheridan Books, Inc Printed on 60# House Opaque, 500 ppi CHINESE LANGUAGE LI Suitable for college and high school students and those learning on their own, this fully illustrated coursebook provides comprehensive instruction in the history and practical techniques of Chinese calligraphy No previous knowledge of the language is required to follow the text or complete the lessons The work covers three major areas:1) descriptions of Chinese characters and their components, including stroke types, layout patterns, and indications of sound and meaning; 2) basic brush techniques; and 3) the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese calligraphy—all of which are crucial to understanding and appreciating this art form Students practice brush writing as they progress from tracing to copying to free-hand writing Model characters are marked to indicate meaning and stroke order, and well-known model phrases are shown in various script types, allowing students to practice different calligraphic styles Beginners will find the author’s advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in writing brush strokes invaluable CHINESE WRITING AND CALLIGRAPHY will be welcomed by both students and instructors in need of an accessible text on learning the fundamentals of the art of writing Chinese characters WENDAN LI is associate professor of Chinese language and linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Cover illustration: Small Seal Script by Wu Rangzhi, Qing dynasty, and author’s Chinese writing brushes and brush stand Cover design: Wilson Angel UNIVERSITY of HAWAI‘I PRESS Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888 LI-ChnsWriting_cvrMech.indd 4/19/10 4:11:27 PM ... YIN AND YANG OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY Diversity in Harmony Dialectics in the Art of Calligraphy 180 Appreciation of Calligraphy 183 Chinese Calligraphy and Health 185 Discussion Questions and Writing. .. CONCLUSION: CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY IN THE MODERN ERA 186 Modern Developments in Chinese Calligraphy Chinese Calligraphy in the West 195 What Is Chinese Calligraphy? 197 Discussion Questions and Writing. . .Chinese Writing and Calligraphy We n d a n Li Chinese Writing and Calligraphy A Latitude 20 Book University of Hawai‘i Press Honolulu