Eight-part style is a type of official script calligraphy.
The two forms of official script (which can also represent two stages) are Han Li and Bafen. Bafen is one of the two forms of official script. The name "Bafen" was first seen in the "Book of Jin" in the history of books. The name "Bafen" is also found in "Guwenyuan" compiled by the Song Dynasty.
These two forms existed for a long time from their formation in the late Western Han Dynasty to the end of the Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Han Li was still widely used and did not completely replace Han Li due to the popularity of Bafen. The most obvious examples are the "Zhang Qian Stele" written in 186 AD and the "Cao Quan Stele" written in 185 AD. . The former is Han Li, and the latter is Bafen. Although Hanli and Bafen are two writing systems, the two systems have existed for a long time. It is generally believed that Hanli is the source of the wide-knot structure type of flat painting, and the source of the tight-knot structure type of oblique painting of Bafen.
The development of the eight-part form
The characteristic of the eight-part form is that it is distributed left and right, highlighting the overhanging and suppressing paintings. Its structural type is similar to what Mr. Sha Menghai summarized Draw tight knots diagonally. The "eight points" writing method is related to but different from the small seal script. This is the "outer rubbing" method and the "inner rubbing" method that are famously known in the history of calligraphy. As a calligrapher, Zhong Yao is good at the external extension method, and Youjun is good at the internal method.
The period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a turning point in the development of official script. At this time, official script transitioned from the ancient official stage to the Han official stage. By the time of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Han Li was fully mature, and the Wufeng First Year Slips (Han 22) and Dingxian Bamboo Slips (Han 23) are its typical forms.
About the Yangshuo period of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, a new style of official script emerged - Bafen. Among the Yinwan Mingye wooden tablets from the late Western Han Dynasty, eight points are quite mature, but in our chronological data, eight points still appear in small quantities in wider wooden tablets. We believe that Bafen was formed in the late Western Han Dynasty, but it was not the mainstream form of official script. Later, Bafenshu became widely popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
For the above content, please refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Octad