What is Zhangcao?

Zhangcao, one of the traditional calligraphy styles, is an early cursive script, which began in the Qin and Han Dynasties and evolved from a cursive official script into a standard cursive script. Zhangcao is the predecessor of "today's grass", which was produced at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and changed from Zhangcao. The main difference from "modern grass" is that it retains the brushwork of official script, and the upper and lower characters are independent and basically not connected.

Zhangcao is a kind of calligraphy style derived from the evolution of seal script to official script. It belongs to a segment in the process of cursive script from embryonic stage to standardization.

Zhang Huaiguan in Tang Dynasty called it "the triumph of official script", which evolved from the simple writing method of official script. It is a cursive script of official script or a combination of official script and cursive script. It can also be said that Zhangcao is a script with the meaning of official script.

Extended information:

Zhangcao, with simple strokes and strokes originated from Zhuanli, is still in an immature initial stage in terms of strokes' interest, such as cursive ink in "Ping Fu Tie", "Ji Bai Tie" and bamboo slips.

Its most fundamental brushwork method basically continues the straightforward description of official seal script. In the process of brushwork, it shows the characteristics of dragging and twisting. Pay attention to the tardiness of stippling lines, the agility and change of words, criss-crossing, and often interesting. The arc lines from left to right are used more, and the overall color is muddy.

Some people call these scripts Cao Zhuan, Cao Li and Li Cao. Generally speaking, these book traces should be called the products of cursive seal script or official script, or the embryonic form of cursive script. They are the oldest forms of cursive script, the source of Zhangcao art and an important part of Zhangcao art that cannot be ignored.