Calligraphy realm level

Hello, the level of the realm of calligraphy detailed please refer to:

Levels of the realm of calligraphy, Mr. Zhang Zuan published an article in the 1980s, "Calligraphy and beauty levels of analysis," Mr. Zhang "and the beauty of the" is divided into peace and harmony, bias victory, and Dashun three levels.

Appreciation of harmony is only the primary stage of aesthetics, that is, the lowest level of neutralization of the United States. With the improvement of people's aesthetic ability, the requirement to break through the situation of proportionality and harmony, or to strengthen one side, so that it is partial to the victory, the emergence of a strong style; or on the other hand, followed by the strengthening of the cause of a new harmony. Opposites get stronger and stronger, and both sides pull farther and farther away from each other, but more and more marvelously closer together, the so-called "Yang is Wu and Yue, together is the liver and gallbladder". So it rises and rises, and finally reaches the highest state of neutral beauty, which is extremely disharmonious but extremely harmonious. This neutralization of beauty is not an intermediate state, but the two poles of opposites are especially high and far apart, and the intermediate zone is especially broad, and the capacity of beauty is also greater. Therefore, the ancient Chinese calligraphy aesthetics and calligraphy creations all take the neutralization of beauty as the highest ideal to pursue, "will be in the neutralization, S for the beauty of good" (Xiang Mu). Therefore, if only the "neutral beauty" is understood as "calm and steady, not too much, elegant and harmonious", in fact, is "a great misunderstanding".

In order to illustrate the manifestation of the phenomenon of "partiality" in literature, Mr. Zhang quoted a passage from Dream of Red Mansions: "I laugh at the recent wild history, which is full of shy flowers and moonlight, and warbling swallows, not knowing that the true beauty has a disadvantage. Beauty has a bad place. Such as the fat of Tai Zhen, Fei Yan's thin, Xizi's disease, if applied to another is not beautiful. Today to 'bite the tongue' two words added to Xiang Yun, is what Dafa hand eye, dare to use these two words! Not only do not see ugly, and feel more light and charming, just like a naive Xiangyun standing in the book, its 'love' 'Er' delicate sound like into the ear, and then the paper will be full of warbling words to fill the dung cellar can also be."

On the highest level of neutralization and beauty, ancient books also have much to do. The book of war, "The Thirty-Six Stratagems - Concealing the Sky from the Sea": "Yin is within the yang, not in the pair of the yang, the Taiyin and the sun"; and "Han Fei Zi - The Outer Reservoirs Saying the Next" contains the story of the Yan man, Li Ji, who was subjected to the yagyu bath. Through the quotation of these two passages, Mr. Zhang realized that "if this idea is introduced into the aesthetics of calligraphy, our understanding of the beauty of harmony in calligraphy will be more profound. (Study of Calligraphy, No. 2, 1993)

His student, Bai Mian, said of the hierarchy of the beauty of harmony:

As the subject of the natural world, human beings can guarantee the survival and development of mankind only by harmonizing with the object (nature). The concept of artistic aesthetics also comes from this. In the view of ancient Chinese philosophers and artists, the natural world and human society are always and everywhere contradictory, and the two opposing sides of each other, mutual agitation, mutual transformation, harmony ****, thus constituting the change and development of things. In the calligraphy art form, the line of the rigid and soft, thick and thin, dry and moist, thick and thin, square and round, broken and so on with the structure of the real, open and close, gathered and scattered, clever and clumsy, odd and positive, etc. are all manifested as a contradiction in opposites, and these pairs of three-dimensional unity and harmony, it constitutes the beauty of the calligraphic art form.

The unity of contradictory factors, the ancient metaphor is "and". It is closer to the inner law of the development of things than the unity of diversity. For example, Lao Tzu said, "The world knows that beauty is beautiful, but it is evil; it knows that goodness is good, but it is not good. Therefore, the existence and the absence of each other, the difficulty and the ease of each other, the length of each other, the height of each other, the sound of each other, before and after each other." Confucius also said, "quality over text is wild, text over quality is history, text quality and refined, and then the gentleman." This kind of opposite, neutral and unified aesthetics has become the goal of Chinese art and aesthetic criteria for thousands of years.

Contemporary calligraphy, in addition to a part of the penmanship as all the aesthetic content of the art of calligraphy, people on the general sense of the beauty of the neutralization of the majority of understanding, and will be neutralized as the ultimate goal of calligraphy creation and aesthetics. However, the difference between the higher and lower levels of the beauty of neutralization, whether it is theorists or creators, but most do not make an in-depth investigation, which is really the crux of the prevention of the art of calligraphy to the depth of development. Mr. Zhang Zuan, my teacher, published "Analysis of the Levels of Calligraphy and Beauty" in the 1980s, pointing out that the ancients divided the beauty of harmony into three levels: "peace and harmony", "partial victory", and "great smoothness". The author thinks that it has a substantial guiding effect on the creation and aesthetics of the current calligraphy, and points out the direction for us to establish the aesthetic standard of calligraphy. (""Ugly" for the beauty - and talk about the aesthetic standard of calligraphy")

Zhang Zuan teacher and student of the "neutralization of beauty" is undoubtedly right, this is China's calligraphy theory of the tradition, for example, the Ming Dynasty calligraphy. This is the tradition of calligraphy theory in China. For example, Xiang Mu, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, dedicated a chapter to the issue of "neutralization" in which he said, "The book has a temperament, that is, the genus of the force. Words in the form of quality, that is, the standard grid and so on. True to square for the body, round for the use of Qi; grass to round for the body of Qi, square for the use. The real is end regular as the basis, the author is not easy to quick work; grass is simple and vertical mostly, see people also difficult to understand. The line of calligraphy that is not true and not cursive is not there. It seems to be both true and cursive, but it is also true. It is like the grass but also like the real cursive. Round and square, square and round again, can contain the odd odd not to lose the positive, will be in the neutral, S for the beauty of good. It is also the case that there is no excesses or shortcomings in the center, and it is also the case that there is no misbehavior or hostility in the center. However, the solid can not be abolished and, and also can not be separated from the center, such as rituals and music and, the body of the natural. Rites too section is strict, music pure and obscene. So the ritual Shang from the calm and uncomplicated, music to avoid taking Lun and sparkling, and consistent, bit of education can be expected, not to mention the Hanmo people."

But Mr. Zhang Zuan divided the "neutral beauty" into three levels, divided into three levels of peace and harmony, bias victory, Dashun, I think this is not right. There is no such thing as a low level of "neutral beauty"; "neutral beauty" is the highest level of calligraphic beauty, the highest state. Therefore, the two levels of "peacefulness and partiality" should not be included in the scope of "neutralization" because they cannot reach the highest level at all. I think the reason why Mr. Zhang Zuan got it wrong is that the problem may lie in the understanding of the concept of "neutralization" and the failure to accurately understand the ideological significance of the category of "neutralization", which is a matter of principle that must be clarified (to be discussed later).

If we don't take Mr. Zhang Zuan's "peace and harmony, partial victory, and great smoothness" as the three levels of "neutral beauty" of calligraphy, but as the three levels of the realm of calligraphy, then the division of these three levels is still very informative.

It's a good thing that I'm not a member of this group.

In my opinion, the realm of calligraphy can be divided into three levels:

Chengduo (flat and correct), Chengqi (dangerous, biased), Buqi (neutral)

First, let's explain these words.

Coming into embryo and becoming a weapon, you can also understand the general meaning from the words. Haniwa (embryo) is the process of making molds, which is the work of Haniwa, and requires that the molds be horizontal and vertical, with a smooth center of gravity, and that they be arranged in rows and columns, so as to achieve the goal of being "flat and square". To make ware, the Haniwa embryo molds are fired into ceramic wares for different purposes, which require breaking the original balance, showing certain style characteristics, having a "dangerous" trend, or becoming a "biased" state. Not a weapon, people and books, to achieve the "neutral" realm.

The term "Ping Zheng" and "Dangerous and Extreme" is derived from Sun Jiuting's "The Genealogy of the Calligraphy". Qing Yao Nai, "Replying to Lu Jie Fei's Book": "The extreme of partial victory, one has an absolute nothing, and with those who are not rigid enough to be rigid, and those who are not soft enough to be soft, all cannot be said to be in the language of writing."

No weapon, the concept comes from the Analects.

The Analects of Confucius - For the Government: "Zi said: the gentleman does not ware." Note: The ware, each suitable for its use and can not be connected, into the virtue of the scholar, the body has nothing, so the use of nothing, not especially for a material and an art only. Tour said: "metaphysical is called the Road, the form is called the instrument. The gentleman body of the Tao also, so not ware, not ware can be round and square, can be soft and rigid, not the party with." Yang said: "The gentleman is like the rules and regulations? The square, round, flat and straight come from, not a tool can be named." (The Essence of the Analects)

The Analects of Confucius - Gongye Chang: "Zigong asked: How is it to give? Zi said? Female, ware also. He said: What kind of vessel is it? Said: coral琏 also." Note: Coral, Lian are the temple of corn and grain ceremonial vessels, Xia said coral, the Shang said Lian, Zhou said basket and gui. "A gentleman does not use a vessel, but uses a coral-layer to see it, although it may be valuable, it has not been separated from the vessel. Give also reluctantly." (Rongtang Sishu Guanyi)

Laozi: "Therefore, there are the words of construction: Mingdao Ruomiao, Jindao Ruowei, Yidao Ruowei (lèi). On the virtue if the valley, wide virtue if insufficient, build virtue if stolen, quality of truth if Yu. Great white if humiliated, generous without a corner, a great weapon late. The great sound is soundless, the elephant is invisible, and the Tao is hidden without a name."

Neutralization, a very important conceptual category in the history of Chinese thought, comes from "Zhongyong".

The "Meanwhile" says, "The unleashing of joy, anger, sadness, and happiness is called neutral, and the unleashing of all is called neutral, which is called harmony. The center is also the world's great foundation, and the harmony is also the world's way. To the center and the harmony, heaven is in the position, and all things are nurtured."

"Happiness, anger, sadness and joy are also emotions, which are not yet developed by nature, and have no bias, so they are called in the middle. Hair are in the middle of the section, the love of the right also, there is no perversion, so it is called and. Daben, the nature of heavenly life, the world's reasoning, all out of this, the body of the Road. Da Dao Dao, according to the nature of the world, the world of the ancient and modern **** by, the use of the Road also. This is said to be the virtue of nature, in order to make clear that the Tao cannot be separated from the meaning." "To, pushed to the extreme also. The person who is in a position to rest in his place. The one who nurtures is the one who attempts to give birth to it. From the fear of caution to the quietness of the contract, to the quietness of no less bias and its guard is not lost, then the extreme which is the status of heaven. Since the rigor and refinement, to respond to the place where there is no less error and no fit or not, then the extremely and all things are fertile carry forward. Cover all things in heaven and earth, this my one, my heart is the heart of heaven and earth is also positive, my gas is smooth and heaven and earth's gas is also smooth, so its effect to so, this learning of the extreme merit, the saint's ability to do, the first is not to be outside the Church and cultivation of Taoism is also carried out in which is one of the one, although there is a difference between the static and the dynamic, but it must be the body to stand and then use, there is a line to do in fact there are also not two things, so the combination of the words in order to end the above meaning. " ("Medieval Chapter and Verse")

In terms of calligraphy, the three levels of the realm of calligraphy, and look at Sun Touting and Liu Xizai's statement.

Tang - Sun Jiuting "book spectrum": "the distribution of the first learning, but seek to level, know that the level, to pursue the risk of extinction, can be dangerous and extinction, and return to the level. At first, it is said that it is not yet, and then it is too much, and then it is the time of the meeting, and the book is all old. Zhongni cloud fifty know life also seventy from the heart, so to reach the situation of risk, the body of the way of power and change, but also as if the plan and then move, move not out of place, when then say, words must be in the reasoning."

Ching Liu Xizai, "book overview": "Learning books from the beginning of the work of the workers, followed by the work of the workers seeking not work. Not work, the extreme of work. Zhuangzi - mountain wood" said: 'both carving and carving, return to the simple.' Good man!"

Sun said by the "flat" to "dangerous", and then "return to the flat", that is, the calligraphy of the three realms of learning, what we say is consistent with his meaning.

The three levels of the realm of calligraphy can also be regarded as three stages, from low to high progressive three stages, must be through the steps, can not be crossed. Ping Zheng is the basic stage, the risk of extreme or partial victory is the intermediate and advanced stage, and neutralization is the highest peak, the realm of perfection.

As an analogy, Pingzheng (into the embryo) is the entry work, is mainly a matter of skill, technical problems, as if walking on flat ground, the pace of healthy, there are certain chapters on it, as long as the work to the home, you can achieve the goal, there is no talent, aesthetics and other issues.

Dangerous or partial victory (into a tool) is the intermediate and advanced work, both technical skills and technical skills, but also need to have a certain level of aesthetics, but also need to have a certain moral realm, the three aspects of the work are indispensable, as if the mountain climbing, able to climb to the summit of Mount Tai, Mount Hua, that is to say, it is even more difficult, but also have a step can be up, you can pick up the steps, which is the highest level of work can be achieved. This is a concept borrowed from the Analects of Confucius to compare the second realm of calligraphy, comparing things with things. However, in fact, in the practice of calligraphy appreciation through the ages, in order to facilitate people's understanding of calligraphy, the former people often use people as a metaphor to say is also mainly the problem of this realm. For example, Wang Xizhi's book as "Xie's children, even if the rest is not correct, there is a kind of cool atmosphere" (Yuan Ang "ancient and modern book review"), Chu Suiliang's book as "the beauty of Cindy, it seems to not let it be Luoqi (Zhang Huijuan "book break")", Liu Gongquan's book as "Liu Gongquan's calligraphy is like a Taoist priest in the deep mountains, who has cultivated himself and has a clear and healthy spirit, without a bit of vulgarity (Haiyue shu jian)".

Neutralization (not ware) realm can not strive for. As if climbing mountains, Mount Hua is even more dangerous, after all, the predecessor built the steps, there is a ready-made road to go, and this realm is more like climbing the Himalayas, there is no ready-made road to go, need to carve out a road for themselves, so the efforts of this realm is by no means just a question of whether the work is deep or not, but not ware is the work of divinization, a high degree of skill technique, a unique level of aesthetics, but also need to have a deep moral cultivation, in particular, virtues

The most important thing is to have a deep moral cultivation, especially the virtue, which plays a decisive role in the need for the unity of the book, the unity of man, that is, the body of the text, the content of the text, the writer's state of mind, the writer's character is highly united, the most typical, such as the world's first, the second line of the book.

In this regard, I would like to emphasize the significance of the "neutral state".

In fact, not only calligraphy, but also all literature and art, and even life, there is such a "realm of harmony". Or to put it more clearly, neutralization is the highest state of all literary arts, the highest state of all life. We usually say that "the writing is like a man", "the book is like a man", etc., is in this realm.

But now there are some people who do not understand its profound meaning, but regard themselves as superior, and ridicule it, for example, Yu Qiuyu in the "Pen and Ink Offering" said: "'Wen Shou Ren', 'book like a human being ', these humble views are indeed often seen in many articles."

In fact, Yu Qiuyu's stream simply did not realize that the literary arts and "in the realm of" one of the said, it is no wonder, because the Westerners, whether in theory or in the practice of creative writing, so far did not arrive at this realm, Peach Blossom Garden in the people, I do not know that there is a Han, regardless of the Wei and Jin dynasties. So you see some Western literary artists, to later finally split the body and mind, a complete breakdown of the spirit. Therefore, it is precisely because of the realm of neutrality and harmony that literary art has a correct direction of development, and the two previous stages of development are not lost. In the realm of neutralization, as far as the individual is concerned, the person and the book are united, and the body and mind of the calligrapher are in harmony. To the extreme, in terms of heaven and earth, each of them has its place in the realm of neutrality and harmony, and the four seasons are in their proper place, the winds and rains are in harmony, and all things are in a state of endless growth and vitality. This is the meaning of "neutralization".

So, we have to say that the highest level of appreciation of calligraphy is to appreciate the personality of the calligrapher.

That is why Yang Xiong said, "Calligraphy is the painting of the heart".

So, Liu Xizai said, "Rational emotion is the first thing of the book."

"The book is clear and thick, clear and thick must be from the heart."

"The book of a wise man is warm and mellow, the book of a man of honor is calm and resolute, the book of a man of deformity is a book of experience, and the book of a man of talent is beautiful."

"The book, such as also. Such as their learning, such as their talent, such as their aspirations, in short: such as their people only."