中國書法介紹英文版calligraphyintroduction

中國書法介紹英文版calligraphyintroduction中國書法介紹英文版calligraphyintroduction中國書法介紹英文版calligraphyintroductionCalligraphyCalligraphyisunderstoodinChinaastheartofwritingagoodhandwiththebrushorthestudyoftherulesandtechniquesofthisart.AssuchitispeculiartoChinaandthefewcountriesinfluencedbyancientChineseculture.InthehistoryofChineseart,calligraphyhasalwaysbeenheldinequalimportancetopainting.Greatattentionisalsopaidtodaytoitsdevelopmentbyholdingexhibitionsofancientandcontemporaryworksandbyorganizingcompetitionsamongyoungstersandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.SharingofexperienceinthisfieldoftenmakesafeatureinSino-Japaneseculturalexchange.Chinesecalligraphy,likethescriptitself,beganwiththehieroglyphsand,overthelongagesofevolution,hasdevelopedvariousstylesandschools,constitutinganimportantpartoftheheritageofnationalculture.ClassificationChinesescriptsaregenerallydividedintofivecategories:Thesealcharacter(zhuan),theofficialorclericalscript(li),theregularscript(kai),therunninghand(xing)andthecursivehand(cao).1)Thezhuanscriptorsealcharacterwastheearliestformofwritingaftertheoracleinscriptions,whichmusthavecausedgreatinconveniencebecausetheylackeduniformityandmanycharacterswerewritteninvariantforms.Thefirsteffortfortheunificationofwriting,itissaid,tookplaceduringthereignofKingXuan(827-782B.C.)oftheWesternZhouDynasty,whenhistaishi(grandhistorian)ShiZhoucompiledalexiconof15chapters,standardizingChinesewritingunderscriptcalledzhuan.Itisalsoknownaszhouwenafterthenameoftheauthor.Thisscript,oftenusedinseals,istranslatedintoEnglishasthesealcharacter,orasthe"curlyscript"aftertheshapeofitsstrokes.ShiZhou'slexicon(whichsomethoughtwaswrittenbyalaterauthorofthestateofQin)hadlongbeenlost,yetitisgenerallyagreedthattheinscriptionsonthedrum-shapedQinstoneblockswerebasicallyofthesamestyleastheoldzhuanscript.When,in221B.C.,EmperorQinShiHuangunifiedthewholeofChinaunderonecentralgovernment,heorderedhisPrimeMinisterLiSitocollectandsortoutallthedifferentsystemsofwritinghithertoprevalentindifferentpartsofthecountryinagreatefforttounifythewrittenlanguageunderonesystem.WhatLidid,ineffect,wastosimplifytheancientzhuan(smallseal)script.TodaywehaveamostvaluablerelicofthisancientwritinginthecreatorLiSi'sownhandengravedonastelestandingintheTempletotheGodofTaishanMountaininShandongProvince.The2,200-year-oldstele,wornbyageandweather,hasonlynineandahalfcharactersleftonit.2)Thelishu(officialscript)cameinthewakeofthexiaozhuaninthesameshort-livedQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).Thiswasbecausethexiaozhuan,thoughasimplifiedformofscript,wasstilltoocomplicatedforthescribesinthevariousgovernmentofficeswhohadtocopyanincreasingamountofdocuments.ChengMiao,aprisonwarden,madeafurthersimplificationofthexiaozhuan,changingthecurlystrokesintostraightandangularonesandthusmakingwritingmucheasier.Afurtherstepawayfromthepictographs,itwasnamedlishubecauseliinclassicalChinesemeant"clerk"or"scribe".AnotherversionsaysthatChengMiao,becauseofcertainoffence,becameaprisonerandslavehimself;astheancientsalsocalledboundslaves"li",sothescriptwasnamedlishuorthe"scriptofaslave".3)Thelishuwasalreadyverycloseto,andledtotheadoptionof,kaishu,regularscript.TheoldestexistingexampleofthisdatesfromtheWei(220-265),andthescriptdevelopedundertheJin(265-420).Thestandardwritingtodayissquareinform,non-cursiveandarchitecturalinstyle.Thecharactersarecomposedofanumberofstrokesoutofatotalofeightkinds-thedot,thehorizontal,thevertical,thehook,therising,theleft-falling(shortandlong)andtheright-fallingstrokes.Anyaspirantforthestatusofcalligraphermuststartbylearningtowriteagoodhandinkaishu.Onthebasisoflishualsoevolvedcaoshu(grasswritingorcursivehand),whichisrapidandusedformakingquickbutroughcopies.Thisstyleissubdividedintotwoschools:zhangcaoandjincao.ThefirstoftheseemergedatthetimetheQinwasreplacedbytheHanDynastybetweenthe3rdand2ndcenturiesB.C.Thecharacters,thoughwrittenrapidly,stillstandseparateonefromanotherandthedotsarenotlinkedupwithotherstrokes.JincaoorthemoderncursivehandissaidtohavebeendevelopedbyZhangZhi(?-c.192A.D.)oftheEasternHanDynasty,flourishedintheJinandTangdynastiesandisstillwidelypopulartoday.Itistheessenceofthecaoshu,especiallyjincao,thatthecharactersareexecutedswiftlywiththestrokesrunningtogether.Thecharactersareoftenjoinedup,withthelaststrokeofthefirstmergingintotheinitialstrokeofthenext.Theyalsovaryinsizeinthesamepieceofwriting,allseeminglydictatedbythewhimsofthewriter.AgreatmasteratcaoshuwasZhangXu(early8thcentury)oftheTangDynasty,notedforthecompleteabandonwithwhichheappliedthebrush.Itissaidthathewouldnotsetaboutwritinguntilhehadgotdrunk.Thishedid,allowingthebrushto"gallop"acrossthepaper,curling,twistingormeanderinginoneunbrokenstroke,thuscreatinganoriginalstyle.Todayonemaystillseefragmentsofastelecarvedwithcharactersinhishandwriting,keptintheProvincialMuseumofShaanxi.Thebestexampleandmodelforxingshu,allChinesecalligrapherswillagree,istheInscriptiononLantingPavilioninthehandofWangXizhi(321-379)oftheEasternJinDynasty.TolearntowriteanicehandinChinesecalligraphy,assiduousandperseveringpracticeisnecessary.ThishasbeenborneoutbythemanygreatmastersChinahasproduced.WangXizhi,thegreatartistjustmentioned,whohasexertedaprofoundinfluenceon,andhasbeenheldinhighesteemby,calligraphersandscholarsthroughouthistory,issaidtohaveblackenedinhischildhoodallthewaterofapondinfrontofhishousebywashingthewritingimplementsinitafterhisdailyexercises.Anothermaster,MonkZhiyongoftheSuiDynasty(581-618)wassoindustriousinlearningcalligraphythathefilledmanyjarswithworn-outwritingbrushes,whichheburiedina"tombofbrushes".Renewedinterestinbrush-writinghasbeenkindledtodayamongthepupilsinChina,someofwhomalreadyshowpromisesasworthysuccessorstotheancientmasters.FourTreasuresoftheStudyToproduceChinesecharactersonewillneedabrush,paper,inkstickandinkstone,commonlyreferredtoasthe"FourTreasuresoftheStudy".Tolearncalligraphy,itisnecessarytolearnaboutthesetools.Whilebrushesarevaried,white-goat-hair,black-rabbit-hairandyellow-weasel-hairbrushesarethemainones.Onthebasisoffunction,brushesareclassifiedintothreegroups:hard,softandboth.Brushhandlesareusuallymadeofbamboo,wood,lacquerorporcelain;ivoryorjadehandlesarerareandprecious.TheinkstickisauniquepigmentusedforChinesetraditionalpaintingandcalligraphy.Themostfamousinkstickishuimo(Anhuiinkstick),madeofpinesthatgrowonHuangshanMountaininAnhuiProvince.Cleanwaterisneededtogrindtheinkstick,whichmustbebalancedinthehandduringthegrindingorrubbingprocess.Presshardandrublightly,slowlyandevenlyagainsttheinkslabuntilathick,liquid-inkforms.PaperwasinventedbyCaiLunintheEasternHanDynasty(25-220).Whilepapercomesinmanyvarieties,Xuanpaper,producedintheJingPrefectureofXuanzhou(today'sAnhuiProvince),isconsideredthebestforChinesecalligraphy.Thepaperissoftandfinetextured,suitableforconveyingtheartisticexpressionofbothChinesecalligraphyandpainting.Withagoodtensilestrengthandmothproofquality,thepapercanbepreservedforalongtime.Inkstonesorinkslabshavebeenclassifiedintothreecategories:Duan,SheandTao.Featurescommontoallthreeinkslabsarethestone'shardnessandfineness.Althoughthestoneishardandfine,itisnotdryorslippery.Usingahard,smoothstone,liquidinkcanbeproducedeasilybyrubbingtheinkstickagainstthestone.Bycontrollingtheflexibilityofthebrush,theconcentrationoftheinkandtheabsorbencyofthepaper,theartistcanproduceaninfinitevarietyofcalligraphicstylesandforms.Calligraphy:LeaderofAllArtFormsFewnationsintheworldhavecalligraphyasaformofart.InChina,calligraphyhasmaintainedacloserapportwiththecountry'sculturaldevelopment.Calligraphyisanexpressiveart.AccordingtoanoldChinesesaying,"thewaycharactersarewrittenisaportraitofthepersonwhowritesthem."Expressingtheabstractbeautyoflinesandrhythms,calligraphyisareflectionofaperson'semotions,moralintegrity,character,educationallevel,accomplishmentsinself-cultivation,intellectualtastesandapproachtolife.Chinesecharacters,whichconveyideas,areregardedasthemostabstractandsublimeartform.Calligraphyisalsoapracticalfineart.Exoticcalligraphicinscriptionswrittenonpaper,woodenplaquesorstonetabletsserveasdecorationsofadeepartisticvalue.Calligraphymanifeststhebasiccharacterist