象形字 | IDEOGRAPHS; PICTOGRAPHIC CHARACTERS |
篆書 | SEAL CHARACTER; SEAL SCRIPT |
大篆 | GREATER SEAL CHARACTER; MAJUSCULE SCRIPT (ATTRIBUTED TO SHI ZHOU史籀) |
小篆 | LESSER SEAL CHARACTER; MINISULE SCRIPT (ATTRIBUTED TO LI SI 李斯) |
隸書 | OFFICIAL SCRIPT; CLERICAL STYLE; CHANCERY SCRIPT (ATTRIBUTED TO CHENG MIAO 程邈) |
草書 | “GRASS SCRIPT”; RAPID WRITING; CURSIVE HAND |
楷書 | REGULAR SCRIPT; UNICAL SCRIPT; MODEL STYLE; CLERKLY SCRIPT ATTRIBUTED TO ZHONG YOU 鐘繇) |
行書 | SEMI-CURSIVE SCRIPT; “RUNNING SCRIPT” |
魏碑 | TABLET STYLE (FIRST USED IN NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY INSCRIPTIONS) |
古文 | ANCIENT SCRIPT (ATTRIBUTED TO CANG JIE 倉頡 IN LEGENDARY TIMES) |
籀文 | WRITING AS DEVELOPED BY SHI ZHOU (史籀) |
鳥篆 | BIRD SCRIPT |
鳥蟲書 | BIRD AND INSECT SCRIPT |
蝌蚪文 | TADPOLE SCRIPT |
八法 / The Eight Brush Strokes
橫 (一) | DASH – “LIKE A CONTINUOUS, HORIZONTAL CLOUD (STRATUS), SCARCELY VISIBLE BUT WITH A DEFINITE OUTLINE” |
點 (、) | DOT – “LIKE A STONE FALLING FROM A HIGH PRECIPICE, BUMPING AS IF IT WOULD BREAK TO PIECES” |
左下撇 | DOWN-STROKE TO LEFT - “SHARP ENOUGH TO SEVER THE HORN OF A RHINOCEROS OR THE TUSK OF AN ELEPHANT”  |
右下勾 | DOWN-STROKE TO THE RIGHT WITH A HOOK – “LIKE THE FIRING OF A HEAVY CHARGE FROM A CATAPULT”  |
豎下垂 | DOWN-STROKE PERPENDICULAR – “AS STRAIGHT AS THE DROOPING BRANCH OF AN OLD VINE”  |
捺 | WAVE-LIKE STROKE – “LIKE THE BREAKERS ON A COASTLINE OR LIKE STREAKS OF LIGHTNING”  |
引勾 | BOW-LIKE STROKE – “LIKE A TAUT ARM OR A STIFF BOW”  |
月勾 | THIN CRESCENT – “LIKE THAT OF THE NEW MOON”  |
“永”字八法 / The Eight Brush Strokes of the Character "Yong"
點﹐側 | 1. “SIDELONG” (THE DOT) |
橫﹐勒 | 2. “BRIDLE-BIT” (THE DASH) |
豎﹐努 | 3. “STRENGTH” (THE PERPENDICULAR STROKE) |
勾﹐趯 | 4. “A FOOT IN THE ACT OF KICKING” (THE HOOK) |
挑﹐ 策 | 5. “A STAFF” (UP-STROKE TO THE RIGHT) |
撇﹐ 掠 | 6. “A FLOGGING STICK” (DOWN-STROKE TO THE LEFT) |
短撇﹐ 啄 | 7. “LIKE THE PECK OF WOOD-PECKER” (DOWN-STROKE TO THE LEFT) |
捺﹐磔 | 8. LIKE THE SLASH OF A SHARP WEAPON” (DOWN-STROKE TO THE RIGHT) |
品評 / Standards for Judging Calligraphy
神 | SHEN, A STYLE FULL OF SPIRIT, ENERGY OR VIVANCITY |
氣 | QI, REPRESENTING THE STRENGTH OF BRUSH-STROKES |
| YUN, RHYTHM OR BALANCE |
味 | WEI, AESTHETIC QUALITY |
飛白 | “FLYING WHITE” STYLE OF WRITING (BY WHICH IS MEANT CHARACTERS WRITTEN SO THAT THE HAIRS OF BRUSH SEPARATE, LEAVING BLANK SPOTS NOT COVERED WITH INK |
筆鋒有利 | VIGOROUS BRUSH-STROKE |
勻稱傳神 | BALANCE OR RHYTHMIC |
勻稱諧調 | ARTISTIC SPIRIT OF THE WRITER WHO MUST CONTROL THE STYLE OF HIS WRITING |
敗筆 | WORN-DOWN BRUSH |
硬筆 | STIFF BRUSH |
軟筆 | SOFT BRUSH |
