{"id":31,"date":"2018-06-08T18:00:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T18:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/calligraphy\/?post_type=chapter&p=31"},"modified":"2019-01-10T12:23:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-10T12:23:59","slug":"introduction-to-scripts-skills","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/intro-to-chinese-calligraphy\/chapter\/introduction-to-scripts-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Chinese Scripts\u00a0and Basic Writing Skills"},"content":{"raw":"
This chapter will provide an overview of the study of Chinese calligraphy; it will feature the early history, evolution, and formation of Chinese characters; and it will show case proper posture for sitting and standing and, finally, brush-holding\u00a0techniques.<\/em><\/div>\r\n

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

1 Introduction<\/h2>\r\nCalligraphy is much, much more than literally applying brush strokes to paper. It\u2019s an infinitely rich form of art that is thousands of years old, with practitioners who, over the centuries, have blended style and form to enrich China\u2019s history and culture. In its multiple forms of artistic nuance, calligraphy truly is the gateway to China\u2019s \u201csoul.\u201d Without an awareness of what calligraphy represents, one\u2019s appreciation of China will never be realized fully.\r\n\r\nChinese Calligraphy\u00a0is known as \u201cthe correct way of writing Chinese characters\u201d (and it also refers to the completed piece of calligraphy writing). It came into being before the invention of paper and ink, with etchings known as \u201coracle bones,\u201d that appeared as divine representations on turtle shells and animal bones. As calligraphy evolved, it began to reflect distinctive characteristics of China\u2019s dynasties from as early as 1500 BC. As a result, calligraphy is considered in Asian societies the supreme visual art form, even more valued than painting and sculpture, and is ranked alongside poetry as the highest form of self-expression. Amid rapid-fire change in China and elsewhere, its beauty and self-expression resonate among practitioners. It anchors the present to the past.\r\n\r\nCalligraphy as an art form has another feature: It reflects the calligrapher\u2019s own personality, regardless of age or nationality. Practitioners live across Asia and elsewhere around the world. Keen observers, for example, can follow patterns of characters to discern whether the writer was having a good or bad day.\r\n\r\nRequiring day-in day-out discipline to master, calligraphy provides enormous aesthetic and emotional benefits to a practitioner. In this digital age of smartphones, laptops and apps, it conveys traditional values through the delicate application of brush to paper. It creates a contemplative, relaxed mood \u2013 essential for emotional balance and well-being.\r\n

2 Formation of Chinese Characters: Liu Shu<\/em> (\u516d\u4e66\/\u516d\u66f8\/li\u00f9 sh\u016b) \u2013 the Six Methods of Forming Chinese Characters<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/td>\r\nCategory 1<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCategory 2<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCategory 3<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCategory 4<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCategory 5<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCategory 6<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Name of Character Type<\/strong><\/td>\r\nPictographs<\/td>\r\nIndicative Characters<\/td>\r\nLogical Compound Characters<\/td>\r\nSemantic-Phonetic Compound Characters<\/td>\r\nLoan Characters<\/td>\r\nTransfer Characters<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Example Character<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u65e5\uff0c\u6708\uff0c\u6728<\/td>\r\n\u672c\uff0c\u5203<\/td>\r\n\u6797\uff0c\u660e<\/td>\r\n\u6e05\uff0c\u6674<\/td>\r\n\u2013<\/td>\r\n\u00a0\u2013<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nTable 1:\u00a0Liu Shu (the Six Forming Chinese Character Categories) and examples<\/i>\r\n\r\nFrom a study of Chinese history, we know that six patterns, or styles, form the basis of all characters. One authority, cited in Shuowen<\/em> (\u8bf4\u6587\/\u8aac\u6587\/shu\u014d\u00a0w\u00e9n), a Han<\/em> Dynasty dictionary (206 BC-220 AD) mentions the following:\r\n

2.1 Primary Patterns<\/h4>\r\n