What are the broad categories of Chinese calligraphy?

What are the broad categories of Chinese calligraphy?

Chinese calligraphy can be broadly divided into five styles, namely, Seal Script, Clerical Script, Cursive Script, Running Script, and Regular Script

1. Seal Script: It can be divided into two categories, namely, the Small Seal Script and the Big Seal Script.

Small Seal Script, also known as Qin Seal Script, was the standard script issued by Emperor Qin Shi Huang after the unification of China when he implemented the policy of "writing in the same script".

Qin Li Si's Yishan Stele

Large Seal Script: All scripts before the Small Seal Script can be called Large Seal Script. This includes oracle bone inscriptions, gold inscriptions, and Warring States scripts.

Yin and Shang Oracle Bone Inscriptions

Western Zhou Gold Inscription "San's Plate"

Pre-Qin "Stone Drum Inscriptions" localized

2. Li Shu: a new script formed during the evolution of the Chinese character forms in the Qin and Han Dynasties with the dot-painting structure gradually replacing the line structure of the Seal Script. The ancient script, even the standardized Small Seal Script, was composed of curved lines, making it extremely difficult to write. In order to meet the needs of social development, people had to break through the constraints of the old scripts and seek a new and convenient form. Clerical script inherited a lot of inscriptions, which is most famous for the Han "Zhangqian monument" "Cao Quan monument".

Han ? Cao Quan Bei" localization

Han ? Zhang Qian Stele" partial

Three, cursive: refers to the calligraphy has a certain law, self-contained system of cursive writing Chinese characters. Including chapter grass, grass, wild grass three. It is a kind of simple writing, lively lines, changes, full of interest in the style of calligraphy. Zhang Cao, also known as Clerical Cursive, is a style of writing that utilizes symbols to reduce the number of clerical strokes, and the words are independent, preserving a certain degree of clerical brushwork. Present Cursive, also known as Small Cursive, is based on Zhang Cao, combined with the development of Zheng Shu. It is one of the most commonly used cursive scripts. Berserk Cursive, also known as Big Cursive, originated from Imago Cursive, and is a kind of indulgent and uninhibited cursive script.

Tang ? Zhang Xu's Post on Belly Pain

Tang Huai Su's Post on Calligraphy

Tang ? Sun Tou Ting "book" partial

Four, rows of books: born in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the emergence of the regular script at the same time, or slightly earlier than the regular script. It is on the basis of the official script metamorphosis, development. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, the father and son of the running script, has been recognized as a model of mature running script.

Eastern Jin Dynasty ? Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Collection Preface" (copied by Feng Chengsu of the Tang Dynasty)

V. Regular Script: also known as Zhenshu and Zhengshu, it was produced at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Wei, Jin, and North and South Dynasties, and became a book of the Tang Dynasty, and has been used up to the present day. The Regular Script can be divided into three major systems according to the chronological order of its appearance:

1. Wei and Jin Regular Script: It is based on the method of Wei and Jin, and mainly exists in the form of small regular script. It is represented by the small regular scripts of Zhong Cao, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, with emphasis on the small regular script. For example, Zhong Cao's "Declaration Table", "He Jie Table" and "Recommendation of Ji Zhi Table", Wang Xizhi's "Le Yi Theory", "Huang Ting Jing" and "Dongfang Shuo's Painting Praise", and Wang Xianzhi's "Thirteen Lines of Luoshen Fugue", and so on.

Eastern Jin Dynasty ? Wang Xianzhi "Luo Shen Fu thirteen lines" partial

2, Wei monument. Is to the Northern Wei Dynasty of this era of monument based on a class of forms, and later generalized such a form, where this type of form of calligraphy is collectively referred to as the Wei style, Wei monument is the first after the change of the official script into regular script, the first brilliant, styles of a variety of forms. Roughly, it includes various forms such as cliffs, statues, tomb inscriptions and tablet plates.

Localization of Zhang Manglong Stele

Localization of Zhang Xuan Tombstone

3, Tang Regular Script. This is a typical regular script. Tang Regular script that refers to the Regular completely mature stereotypes of the Sui and Tang Dynasty mainstream style, from the calligraphic point of view for the popular or popular style.

Tang? Liu Gongquan's "Pagoda of Mysteries"

Tang? Yan Zhenqing "Yan Qinli Stele" local

Tang?