Yan Zhenqing (709-785 AD), courtesy name Qingchen, was born in Jingzhao Wannian. It is said that he was from Langya Linyi. Xuanzong was a Jinshi in Kaiyuan and became the prefect of Pingyuan. During the reign of Emperor Suzong, he moved to the Ministry of Industry and the imperial censor. During the reign of Emperor Daizong, he became the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and gradually became the Duke of Lu County. Yan Zhenqing has a rich family background and is good at calligraphy. He studied under Chu Suiliang and Zhang Xu, and became his own style. He was a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. The title of this stele is "Inscription on Duobao Pagoda of Qianfu Temple in Xijing, Tang Dynasty." The main text is thirty-four lines, each line has sixty-six characters. It was originally located at Qianfu Temple in Andingfang, Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, but was moved to the Forest of Steles in Xi'an during the Song Dynasty. Regular script, 285 cm high and 102 cm wide. This stele was written by Cen Xun, written by Yan Zhenqing, and published by Shi Hua. It was engraved in Qianfu Temple, Xingping County, Shaanxi Province in the 11th year of Tianbao (AD 752) and is now preserved in the Forest of Steles in Xi'an.
The full name of Duobao Pagoda Stele is "Inscription on Duobao Pagoda of Qianfu Temple in Xijing, Tang Dynasty".
It was written by Yan Zhenqing, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, in the eleventh year of Tianbao (752 AD). It reflects his early calligraphy style, with neat and meticulous fonts, strict structure and meticulous brushwork. Therefore, this The obelisk is also the most popular model for later generations to learn regular script.
The rubbing was originally collected by Li Zonghan and is now in the Palace Museum. In the stele, the word "dig" in "Dig a well and see mud" is intact and was inscribed in the Song Dynasty. White paper cut out and mounted. This is Yan Zhenqing's work when he was forty-four years old, which is earlier among the existing works. The structure is stable and rigorous, meticulous, strong and beautiful, which is very different from his later calligraphy appearance.
"Duobao Pagoda Stele", this stele was written by Yan Zhenqing when he was 44 years old. It is directly related to the two kings, Ou, Yu and Chu Yufeng, and it has obvious similarities with the scriptures written by the Tang Dynasty. The whole text has a tight structure, round dots and strokes, and is beautiful and vigorous. Although it has not yet formed the strong, deep, and majestic Yan Kai style, this stele has established the basic style of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy style. It is the earliest regular script in Yan Shu that has been handed down. The work has a stable and upright structure, rigorous and solemn, and is one of the representative stele inscriptions of "Shang Fa" in the Tang Dynasty. Many students of facial expressions and styles start from this stele and become familiar with it.
The pens used in this stele are mostly centered, and there are obvious clicks when starting and ending the pen. The starting point of the brush is mainly the hidden edge, and the exposed edge is also used, as well as the square and round strokes. Some horizontal strokes have a more exposed starting point, most of which are not like Liu Shu's straight head and square feet, but with a slightly slanted tip, and implicit brushwork is used to make it rich in changes; the closing brush is There are many people who use the strokes to stop and return to the front, emphasizing "protecting the tail", especially in horizontal paintings. When writing horizontally to the end of the stroke, you often press to the lower right, and the strokes return to the front, which reflects the majesty and grandeur of the face. The rhyme of the poem is thick and strong in vertical painting, vigorous and powerful. The contrast between the thickness of the horizontal and vertical strokes is sharp, rich in rhythm and rhythmic beauty, and it also fully expresses the meaning of the "tendon" of the face. The body painting is lighter and stronger, but the back painting is thick and powerful. It is known as the "silkworm head and swallow tail", giving people a strong and dynamic feeling, especially the long back legs, which are kicked out after a setback, which is subtle and sharp. feel. In addition, the feet of the Yan body painting are usually at the same level or slightly lower than the tip of the painting. They are not like the lower legs of the willow body, but present a kind of stretched and steady beauty.
There are many changes in the turnings of this stele. The main methods include lifting the pen, shrugging, pausing, and pressing the pen to sharpen the shoulders and turn secretly. There are square and round, and both square and round. It has the typical characteristics of Tang Kai's "advocating method", with broad structure, even white cloth, slightly square font, dignified and stable, full of righteousness, and a front-facing, vigorous and heroic calligraphy style that has begun to show the maturity of the face and body.
The calligraphy style of "Duobao Pagoda Stele" is not as tight as Liu Shu's, and the main writing style is as relaxed as a spear and a euphorbia. The width and width of the strokes in the stele's font are smaller than those in European and Liu scripts. The main strokes are relatively convergent and the short strokes are relatively long. Therefore, the middle palace appears sparse and the outer strokes are more regular, slightly more pronounced than those in European and Liu scripts. Loose inside and tight outside, the characters are broad, powerful and stable.
The dots in "Duobao Pagoda Stele" are used flexibly to lead people to look forward; there are exposed fronts and shadows between each stroke, which are coherent and oblique; some main vertical lines deliberately deviate from the center line, and rely on long horizontal strokes. The oblique position, long "force arm" and heavy "vertical tail" are used to obtain balance, making stability and liveliness mutually intertwined, and adding to the fun. Although the calligraphy style is vigorous and heavy, the ink is full of contentment, and the flow of ink and ink is quite charming, which also achieves Yan Kai's "majestic" calligraphy style.
The "tight in the middle and loose in the outer" and "full and square" style of the Yan script are only relative to the European and Liu scripts. Specific to individual characters, the structure of the characters still conforms to the general rules of regular script structure, and can be tight and tight, and the strokes and structure , the single characters have the same meaning, but the structure is unevenly stretched up and down, left and right, high and low. When studying, you should avoid being too sparse and loose inside; the font should not be too square, making it appear dull and lifeless.
"Duobao Pagoda Stele" is Yan Zhenqing's early representative work and an excellent model for future generations to learn calligraphy. However, this monument does not form the broad and vigorous style of Yan Zhenqing. This stele uses strokes to hide the front and strokes to return to the front. The structure is dense and well-proportioned, and the style is rigorous and solemn. When studying this stele, you should pay attention to the lifting and pressing turns of the pen, the inner tightness and outer looseness of the structure, and the upper and lower loosening. Observe carefully and carefully study the characteristics of the pen and the structural rules. It is only a matter of time to learn this stele well.