{"id":141,"date":"2018-07-16T21:34:05","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T21:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/calligraphy\/?post_type=chapter&p=141"},"modified":"2019-01-11T14:39:16","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T14:39:16","slug":"early-forms-of-calligraphy","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/intro-to-chinese-calligraphy\/chapter\/early-forms-of-calligraphy\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Forms Of Calligraphy, Confucius And Lao Tzu, and Writing Techniques"},"content":{"raw":"
This chapter introduces the earliest immortal calligraphers and highlights their contributions to the art. It also cites the central role of Taoism and Confucianism and focuses on large seal script.<\/em><\/div>\r\n

Part I. Culture<\/h1>\r\n

1 Large Seal Script (\u5927\u7bc6)<\/h2>\r\nLarge seal script (\u5927\u7bc6\/d\u00e0 zhu\u00e0n) typically refers to bronze-ware script (\u91d1\u6587\/j\u012bn w\u00e9n) and stone-drum script (\u77f3\u9f13\u6587\/sh\u00ed g\u01d4 w\u00e9n). Calligraphers wrote on the surfaces of bronze bells and cauldrons. To have their inscriptions endure, they used a stylus to write on the wet clay of the mold that was used to cast the bronze vessel. Later inscriptions were engraved after the alloy had been cast. Only oracle bone inscriptions are older than these early forms of writing.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nFigure 1: Script on bronze-ware<\/i>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nFigure 2: Script on stone-drums<\/i>\r\n

*<\/h3>\r\n

2 The Legacy of Calligraphy and Culture During This Period<\/h2>\r\n

2.1 Laozi \u8001\u5b50\/l\u0103o z\u012d and Taoism<\/h4>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_953\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"471\"]\"\" Figure 3: Portrait of Laotzu drawn by \u6587\u5f81\u660e\/\u6587\u5fb5\u660e Wen Zhengming (1559-1470)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nLaotzu, \u8001\u5b50\/l\u0103o z\u012d,\u00a0literally \u201cOld Master,\u201d was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer who reputedly wrote Tao Te Ching <\/em>\u9053\u5fb7\u7ecf\/\u9053\u5fb7\u7d93\/d\u00e0o d\u00e9 j\u012bng, the founding philosophical tenets of Taoism. He was considered a deity in Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions.\r\n\r\nTaoism, also known as Daoism, is a religion and philosophy that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, \u9053\/d\u00e0o, also known as Dao<\/em>, or the \u201cWay.\u201d At its core, Taoism focuses on simplicity, spontaneity and naturalness. It emphasizes \u65e0\u4e3a\/\u7121\u70ba\/w\u00fa w\u00e9i\u00a0or effortless action. Its Three Treasures are: \u6148\/c\u00ed, or \"compassion,\" \u4fed\/\u5109\/ji\u0103n, or \"frugality,\" and \u4e0d\u6562\u4e3a\u5929\u4e0b\u5148\/\u4e0d\u6562\u70ba\u5929\u4e0b\u5148\/b\u00f9 g\u0103n w\u00e9i ti\u0101n xi\u00e0 xi\u0101n, or \"humility.\" As for its lasting impact on calligraphy, followers of this philosophy, regardless of station in life, focus on self-cultivation and self-restraint. It is believed that a person who has achieved greatness is someone with a highly developed brush-writing skill.\r\n

2.2 Confucius \u5b54\u5b50 and Confucianism<\/h4>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_923\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"374\"]\"\" Figure 4: Portrait of Confucius drawn by \u5434\u9053\u5b50 (Wu Daozi) (685-758)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nConfucius (\u5b54\u5b50\/k\u014fng z\u012d) (551\u2013479 BC) was an immortal teacher and philosopher of the Spring<\/em> and Autumn Periods<\/em> (\u6625\u79cb\u65f6\u671f\/\u6625\u79cb\u6642\u671f\/ch\u016bn qi\u016b sh\u00ed q\u012b) who preached personal and institutional morality, correct social relationships, justice, and sincerity. His thoughts evolved into a system known as Confucianism that, among other things, influenced the works of calligraphers and painters throughout China, and East and Southeast Asia.\r\n

3 Yin and Yang<\/h2>\r\nYin and Yang (\u9634\u9633\/\u9682\u967d\/y\u012bn y\u00e1ng), in Chinese culture, is believed to have been generated from the \"oneness of the universe.\" They exist in harmony with each other to maintain good balance. Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; it is associated with water, earth, the moon,\u00a0femininity, and night time. Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and active; it is associated with fire, sky, the sun,\u00a0masculinity\u00a0and daytime. In the Chinese religion, Taoists favor Yin with an emphasis on reclusion and Confucianists favor Yang to encourage people to positively engage themselves in social life. Yin and Yang can be reflected in Chinese calligraphy through the balance between black and white, big and small, straight and curved, round and angular, etc.\r\n

*<\/h3>\r\n

Part II. Calligraphy Writing<\/h1>\r\n

1 Techniques of Using Brush<\/h2>\r\n

1.1 \u4ee5\u8155\u8fd0\u7b14\/\u4ee5\u8155\u904b\u7b46 Technique<\/h4>\r\n\u4ee5\u8155\u8fd0\u7b14\/\u4ee5\u8155\u904b\u7b46\/y\u012d w\u00e0n y\u00f9n b\u012d is the proper way of writing. It means to let the wrist, not the fingers, lead brush movement.\r\n

1.2 \u63d0 and \u6309 Techniques<\/h4>\r\n\u63d0\/t\u00ed (to lift; raise) means to write with a partly raised brush to produce thin or small-sized strokes.\u00a0\u6309\/\u00e0n (to press) means to press the brush to some extent to make thick or large strokes. Beginners need to practice before they can gain full control of the brush to have the expected stroke thickness or size. Figure 5 illustrates the two techniques with the downward arrow \u2193 meaning \u6309 and the upward arrow \u2191 for \u63d0.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_322\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"327\"]\"\" Figure 5: \u6309, \u63d0, and then \u6309 in writing[\/caption]\r\n

*<\/h3>\r\n

2 Strokes That Compose Characters: Dots (\u70b9\/\u9ede)<\/h2>\r\nIn Chinese calligraphy, there are more kinds of dots (\u70b9\/\u9ede\/di\u0103n) than one would expect. To write a dot is not a simple down-and-up motion. Instead, each type of dot needs to be written differently. Follow the directions in Figure 6.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nFigure 6: Different types of dots and their writing in Chinese calligraphy<\/i>\r\n

*<\/h3>\r\n

3\u00a0Composing Characters<\/h2>\r\n

3.1 Stroke Order<\/h4>\r\nArch Chinese<\/a> lists 12 rules of Chinese character-writing order. Below is Rule 7:\r\n