These four factors are related to the dryness and wetness of ink, the thickness of strokes, the straightness of lines, the Fiona Fang and the speed of strokes.
In calligraphy, if those lines are tough and elastic, they are "tendons"; It is "bone" that has just sexy and masculine beauty; The appearance with moist feeling and aesthetic feeling is "blood"; The plump and soft appearance is "meat". Ding once said: "In people, the bones are supported and the tendons are moved. Bones are expensive, strong and soft, so books and paintings are called bones, and the weak are called boneless. Those who are flexible are called tendons, and those who are blunt are called tendons. " This can be used as evidence that we know about bones and muscles.
"Tendons" can be associated with rattan, so those curves, S-lines and winding lines are often related to this, and it is easy to form this sense of tendons when the pen is fast. Feng Wu in Qing Dynasty said in Zhi Yi: "Those who are too slow are sluggish without tendons, and those who are too anxious are sick without bones. Some people think that "bone" is the result of the center's stroke, but Fang Bi, straight pen, thin pen and flat pen are also easy to form a sense of bone. " "Blood" is naturally related to water, and a dead pen will definitely not feel "blood". "Meat" is naturally related to ink, and at the same time it should be nourished by "blood", otherwise the sensuality will be lost. At the same time, thin pens often make people feel boneless, while thick pens often make people feel boneless.
And these four are all related to calligraphy techniques. Huang said: "All paintings should be filled with ink, otherwise the pen will be dry and the painting will be naked;" Make life hate. " Ink is closely related to "meat", but dry ink without meat will naturally show up, which is the skill of using ink. "The secret of Hanlin?" Meat method: "full, flying, the meat of the word, the pen is also ... full is fat, flying is thin." Fat man, ten cents is enough; You will save a lot of points if you are thin. "This is obviously a skill with a pen. Fang Bi has no sense of power? Qi Shanjie said: "It is the key for Fang Bi Wei Bei to use a pen to adjust the front end depending on the inclination of the pen tube and the twist tube to ensure the rigorous center from beginning to end. "An Outline of Art by Liu Xizai in Qing Dynasty": "Words have courage". The same is true of firm and decisive writing, and it is easy to form bone strength. Another example is "Yuyanlou Calligraphy"? "Meat Law" says: "The meat of words is very thin, but the weight of hands is also heavy. However, it is particularly important to look at water and ink. Desire for water makes the meat loose, and stagnation of water makes the meat dry. Thick ink makes the meat stupid, while light ink makes the meat uncooked. Thick meat is stagnant, and accumulated meat is coagulated. " It seems that I have a deep understanding of this. "Bone, its sharp edges and corners is also called. It is also necessary to penetrate its force in the painting and gather its front in the word, so the vertical and horizontal dimensions are infinite. Only by understanding the words' straight' and' tight' can I get it. " Isn't this the center pen? In the Qing Dynasty, Zhu Luzhen had his own understanding in the Book of Learning: "When the tendon comes out of the wrist, the wrist will spin and lead the tendon;" Bone comes from fingers, fingertips are not solid, and bones are difficult to become; Blood is ink and wash, and ink and wash must be adjusted; Meat is a fine pen, and the pen is empty and round. Blood can be colorful, but the posture inside is very awkward; But flesh and blood are born in bones and muscles, and bones and muscles are not established, and flesh and blood should not be proud. Therefore, the book takes bones and muscles first. "
The bones and muscles are flesh and blood, and dryness is the most taboo. At the same time, we should also pay attention to "degree". Huang Tingjian of the Northern Song Dynasty said, "Fat characters should have bones, while thin characters should have flesh." . This means not being fat and exhausted, but being thin and exhausted. Ding said, "Meat is born in ink, and blood is expensive and dry, which is called moistening blood. Meat is expensive, moderately fat and thin, and moderately fat and thin is called meat. Afraid of more flesh and blood, less bones and muscles. Your bones and muscles are expensive, but you suffer less. Less is nothing. " If we do not pay attention to the problem of moderate dryness, there will be a phenomenon mentioned in Liang Wudi's Re-answer: "Pure bones are not flattering, pure meat is weak, less ink is dull, and more ink is dull." Scholars in the Qing Dynasty also thought that Xi Shan Lev Lu was boneless, magnificent, almost sinister and not ethereal. "At the same time, we should also see the interdependence between the four. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhu Luzhen said in the Essentials of Calligraphy, "However, flesh and blood are born in bones and muscles, and flesh and blood cannot be proud. Therefore, take the bones and muscles in the book first. "
Of course, we should also see the expressive force of these four people, such as strong sense of bone and pen power, which is suitable for expressing strong cold; People with a strong sense of writing are suitable for being tough and unyielding; Strong sense of flesh and pen, suitable for soft and warm performance; Bloody and strong sense of pen, suitable for expressing beauty and warmth. For example, in Yan Yan's Dragon Monument, the feeling of bone and pen is impacting people's souls everywhere, and we feel a strong and firm artistic style, which clearly shows cuan clan's powerful influence and cuan clan's unshakable and firm position. Look at Tang Bohu's "Early Plum", "The trees are cold and colorless, and the southern branches are absolutely blooming. Smell the running water, and the shadow falls on the savage. " The pen is full of blood and embellishment, which shows the author's tenderness and sweetness to Zaomei and his clear mood. Another example is when the bones are thick and fleshy, such as a general with thick shoulders and wide waist; Fine lines, when the bones are weak and the flesh is delicate, are like a slim and delicate girl and have their own expressive force. This reminds me of Song Li's The Staff of Rhythm, which says, "If a stroke is compared to a note, when many strokes are combined, we must emphasize the change and contrast of thickness. The more obvious the contrast between thickness and thickness, the stronger the jumping feeling of its notes, and the wider its "range". Be bold, firm and sonorous, with a large proportion of thick lines; Be gentle, quiet and calm, and the content of thin lines should be high; Be cheerful, jump, be passionate, and mix thickness. Different styles have different requirements for stroke thickness, and different combinations of stroke thickness have different aesthetic tastes. " Xiang Mu of Ming Dynasty proposed that calligraphy can be divided into two types: old and young. "The so-called old man, precise structure, lofty genre, rock curve and peak, standard array. The so-called few people, full of gas, elegant and elegant, all kinds of tastes, thousands of romantic feelings are also. Ancient and numerous, although Gu Zhuo is magnificent, it is fresh, rich and beautiful. Young but not old, although graceful and slim, it lacks the meaning of heavy code. " In fact, from another angle, the pen of bones and muscles is more suitable for showing old age, and the pen of flesh and blood is more suitable for showing less.
In addition to flesh and blood, some people also put forward "skin", that is, the outer contour of lines. Some of this "skin" is smooth and clear, like a young man; Some are rough, like old farmers in the fields and hunters in the mountains; Some are uneven, like athletes, with strong muscles; All kinds of differences also have their own interests. But if the paper does not absorb ink and overflows on the skin, it is easy to be a failure of the skin. Of course, this kind of pen, if used well, has a special artistic beauty, vague and illusory, and has a mysterious and illusory taste. Wang Duoshan's use of ink is a profound understanding of this kind of "skin".