Wang Xizhi's brushwork in the Jin Dynasty is called "broken hairpin", that is to say, Wang Xizhi's brushwork is like a golden hairpin worn on a woman's head, curved and twisted, round but not stiff, soft and resilient. Yan Zhenqing's brushwork rule is called "leak mark". Leak marks refer to the marks formed by rain winding down the uneven wall, indicating that the strokes are strong and tough, and the muscles are full and natural. Jiang Kui said in the Southern Song Dynasty: "Those who have a leak in their family want to have no beginning and no end." Yan Zhenqing should be the representative of the leak-mark brushwork. In Yan-ti regular script, the swallow-tailed silkworm head is Yan Zhenqing's original creation. Please note that the goose tail with silkworm head is the characteristic of official script strokes, and the swallow tail with silkworm head is the characteristic of Yan Zhenqing regular script. There is only one word difference between the two, but there are essential differences. Zhu praised Yan Zhenqing's book and said, "Points are like falling rocks, paintings are like clouds, hooks are like bows, images are vertical and horizontal, and ambitions are low, so there is no intention of public dedication."
Second, the structure
Ouyang Xiu once said: "Yan Gongshu is like a loyal martyr and a moral gentleman. His aim is strictness and respect. People are afraid of people, but the longer they are, the cuter they are. " Ouyang Xiu's metaphor is very apt. Yan Zhenqing is honest and frank, upright and upright, and his calligraphy structure is broad and magnificent, which is similar to others. Most people's writing structure is tight inside and loose outside, while Yan Zhenqing's regular script structure is loose inside and tight outside, which makes him very confident and calm.
Third, composition
Yan Zhenqing's regular script is characterized by small spacing and dense spacing, so that the proportion of thick black strokes is large, which is quite different from the fine brushwork, large spacing and large spacing of Wang Xianzhi, Yang Ningshi and Zhao Mengfu, giving people a threatening trend.