This topic is relatively large, involving a wide range and rich in content. Now let me talk about my learning experience first, hoping to play a role in attracting jade.
First, what is cursive?
When we learn cursive script, we must first know what cursive script is.
Mr. Lu Xixing said in the Compilation of Chinese Bamboo Slips: "Only cursive scripts with certain writing rules can be regarded as cursive scripts."
I quite agree with him. When there are words, there are two ways to write: block letters and cursive scripts. Cursive script can only be called cursive script if it reaches a certain writing rule, otherwise it can only be called cursive script (cursive writing).
Second, the purpose of cursive script
Zhao Yi pointed out in "Non-cursive script" that "the meaning of simplicity is obvious", "herbs are simple and quick" and "it is difficult to save trouble when you delete them, but it is easy to obtain and understand things". In other words, the purpose of cursive script is "simplicity and speed", and simplicity is for "speed"
It's fast. The simplicity of cursive script is not something that calligraphers can do at will, but is written according to established writing rules. Mr. Lu said: "As a grass, social conventions are very important. The stability and unity of prescriptive performance in use
The origin of three cursive scripts
There have been cursive scripts since there were words, that is, cursive scripts, which are generalized cursive scripts. Mr. Lu Xixing pointed out: "Facts can prove that cursive script was produced between the end of Qin Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty".
Zhao Yi said, "At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the punishment was heavy, the official books were complicated, the war and attack were combined, the military books were crossed, and the feathers were flying, so it was a grass."
He pointed out that Cao Li came into being at the end of Qin Dynasty, which was the historical background of cursive script.
Many book critics have the same view.
Fourth, the origin and evolution of cursive script
There are two views on the origin of cursive script. Let's talk about the first one, that is, the majority view, which can also be said to be the traditional view. Let me talk about my preliminary understanding on this point of view.
Mr. Lu believes that the ancient official script is the cursive script of seal script, which is called seal script or seal script.
In fact, the ancient official script appeared as early as the pre-Qin (Warring States). By the time of Qin Shihuang, Cheng Miao was in prison. "Ten years of meditation, great gains and losses, three thousand words of seal script ..." I think Cheng Miao's official script is sorted out and enriched on the basis of the ancient official script in pre-Qin period. It is the font before the eight-point official script and Cao Zhangshu, and it still belongs to ancient Chinese characters in essence.
Cursive script (Guli) is essentially a change of official script. From the point of view of philology, the change of official script makes Chinese characters change from ancient characters (that is, big small seal script) to modern characters, from pictographs to symbols, from the curve of seal script to straight lines and circles. Because of the change of strokes, the font also changes, which is a big change in the history of writing.
After the formation of Guli (Cao Zhuan), it evolved in two directions: one was the normalization of Guli, and later it evolved into an eight-part official script; The other is the ancient Li cursive script, called, which later evolved into. However, Mr. Lu did not talk about the relationship with the eight-point official script. In fact, our cursive script originated from Li's cursive script in ancient times, but I think it should come from an eight-point cursive script, which means an eight-point cursive script. It is not difficult to see the relationship between Cao Zhang and Bafen Li Shu described by the ancients. Cao Zhang is an urgent chapter written by You in the Western Han Dynasty, which is a typical and mature symbol of Cao Zhang. In the history of calligraphy in the Eastern Han Dynasty (Cao Cao), he traveled with Cui Yuan and studied with Emperor Wu of the Three Kingdoms. Compared with Song Ke in the Ming Dynasty and Zhao Ziang in the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial replica of Songjiang stone carvings can better represent Cao Zhang.
Fifth, the relationship between the formation of the book and Cao Zhang.
Mr. Lu Xixing said: The main source of regular script is not stereotyped writing, but Cao Zhang. The reason is: "Regular script has a rudiment when the eight-part essay is immature, and it has been valued as a font when the eight-part essay is prosperous." The second reason is: "The basic strokes represented by the eight permanent characters of regular script can be found in the cursive script of the Han Dynasty. ..... Therefore, regular script strokes come from cursive script ". I even feel that Lian Zi is closer to regular script.
According to Mr. Lu's exposition, it should be: seal script-ancient official script-cursive script-cursive script-Zhang script.
-Regular script.
Another way of evolution should be: seal script-ancient official script-official script of ancient official script-eight official scripts.
Now we connect these two lines of ancient Li Jinhua, which should be:
Cao Li (Gu Li's cursive script) Cao Zhang-Today Grass-Crazy Grass
Seal script-Guli (grass biography)
Li's Official Book in Ancient China —— The Official Book of Eight Points (True Book)
If so, it is not difficult to see that Cao Zhang has nothing to do with the eight-part essay; Eight official script has nothing to do with the formation of regular script; This grass has nothing to do with weeds and regular script. Does this conform to the law of Chinese character evolution?
In fact, from the beginning of writing, his calligraphy had a formal body, and then there was a formal cursive script, which in turn promoted the evolution of the original formal body to the new formal body. However, the new normal body is formed on the basis of the original normal body, absorbing the advantages of the grass body (such as strokes and glyphs). I think its source should be the original, not the cursive script. For example, the source of regular script should be eight-part official script. But Cao Zhang did play a catalytic role in evolution.
There are many strokes in "Urgent Chapter" that are "very similar to regular script" ... and quite a few regular scripts are from cursive script of Han Dynasty. "
This is a fact. However, stereotyped writing also has many strokes. As far as structure is concerned, the structure of stereotyped writing is rigorous and standardized, and it is also very natural to evolve into regular script. So I think the source of regular script should be stereotyped writing. The formation of regular script does inherit and draw lessons from many reasonable elements of Cao Zhang, which cannot be ignored or denied.
Regarding the relationship between regular script and modern grass and weeds, I think regular script is the matrix, while running script, modern grass and weeds are cursive scripts of different degrees and forms. Any cursive script is a sketch of a shape, and there is absolutely no abstract cursive script without a shape. The skin does not exist, but the hair is attached. In my opinion, strictly speaking, running script should belong to cursive script, because it is the initial simplicity of regular script, such as "red"
Nine strokes, written into a running script.
It's two strokes, simple and quick, easy to learn, which completely conforms to the characteristics of cursive script, but it's only the primary form of cursive script. Now cursive script is an intermediate form, while crazy script is an advanced form. Regular script is one son and three sons.
Sixthly, Mr. Zhang Shidong put forward completely different views on the relationship between seal script and official script, and between Cao Zhang and regular script. On July 18, 2007, he published How Chinese Characters Evolved in the seventh edition of Calligraphy Guide. He said: 10 years later, he made an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese characters and found that "official script was changed from Xiao Zhuan".
This classic conclusion is "unfounded conclusion". "
It is said that it is "groundless" because for thousands of years, no one has ever written a word or even a radical to prove (research) how Xiao Zhuan evolved into an official script and what the transitional glyphs between them look like. "He said that some people think that" official script is a cursive script, and regular script is a cursive script ". Still no one has come up with a word or radical to verify it. A conclusion that can't stand verification can never be a correct conclusion. "
He said: "According to the existing written materials, every detail in the gradual change process is deduced in chronological order, and it is found that there is no official change between Xiao Chuan or Cao Chuan and Li Shu.
Intermediate link; On the contrary, it seems that anyone who disagrees with Biography and Biography of Cao can find a very consistent basis and inheritance relationship in the inscriptions on Oracle Bone Inscriptions and the Western Zhou Dynasty. More importantly, in the charts comparing the evolution process of a large number of fonts in time series, a universal law is found: the whole evolution process of Chinese fonts completely reflects a gradual process of continuous integration, standardization and closure. "
He proved the whole process of Chinese characters' evolution with eight complete charts in four fonts: big seal script, official script, regular script and cursive script. These eight charts include Tian-from the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script of the Western Han Dynasty, and then from the official script of the Western Han Dynasty to the cursive script of the Western Han Dynasty.
The cursive prefix-from the bronze inscription in the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script in the late Warring States period, and then to the cursive script in the Western Han Dynasty ""Gate-from the bronze inscription in the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script in the late Warring States period, and then to the cursive script in the Western Han Dynasty ",
"West-from the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script of the Qin Dynasty in the late Warring States Period, and then from the official script of the Western Han Dynasty to the cursive script of the Tang Dynasty (insufficient information in the early stage)", "Walking beside the characters-from the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script of the Qin Dynasty in the late Warring States Period, and then from the official script of the Western Han Dynasty to the cursive script", "
Female-from the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the late Warring States Period, and then to the cursive script of the Western Han Dynasty ","Yi, You Bao Er-from the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the late Warring States Period, and then from the official script of the Western Han Dynasty to the cursive script of the Western Han Dynasty ","
Skin-from the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the official script of the Qin Dynasty at the end of the Warring States Period, from the official script of the Western Han Dynasty to Cao Zhang of the Western Han Dynasty, and from Cao Zhang to the cursive script of the Jin and Tang Dynasties (now grass) "
The eight diagrams show that the source of official script is the bronze inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty, not the seal script. At the end of the Warring States period (the so-called pre-Qin ancient ceremony) originated from the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The cursive script of the Western Han Dynasty originated from official script; Regular script evolved from official script, not Cao Zhang; Cursive script originated in the Western Han Dynasty; Any kind of cursive script is a solid cursive script,
For example, Cao Zhang is the cursive form of Bafen Lishu, and Cao Jin and Kuangcao are the cursive forms of regular script. As Mr. Zhang said: "'normal body'
Always the main body of the text. "From the evolution of bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty, it can be clearly seen that the evolution of bronze inscriptions can be divided into two ways: one is the evolution from bronze inscriptions to seal scripts, (including Da seal and Xiao seal. The fonts before Qin Zhuan, including Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and seal script, all belong to the nature of seal script. Xiao Zhuan is the main practical font in Qin Dynasty, which was still used in the early Western Han Dynasty. With the gradual popularization of official script, Xiao Zhuan gradually withdrew from the practical stage. The other is the evolution from bronze inscription to official script. Official script has two ways of evolution, namely, official script changed from eight-part script to regular script; Grass changed from Cao Zhang to Cao Cao and Crazy Grass.
He also believes that:
The cursive script is differentiated from the official script, and the so-called "cursive script-running script-model" cursive script is "standardized" and really untraceable.
The official script in the late Warring States period was very mature. Therefore, the saying that cursive script developed into Li and Kai is far from the historical facts.
I think that although he is a family statement, what he said is well-founded and convincing. Of course, it can be used for our reference, comparison and in-depth discussion to see who makes sense. I hope everyone can express their opinions more.
Seventh, the development and climax of cursive script.
Cursive script originated in the Western Han Dynasty, and Cao Zhang matured in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its representative calligraphers are (Cao) and Cui Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, and Zhang Zhi of the late Eastern Han Dynasty (Cao created this grass again and became the first cursive hand).
Cao Zhang ruled the Jin Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty, with famous calligraphers, such as Suo Jing and Lu Ji.
Modern grass dominated the Eastern Jin Dynasty, represented by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. Wang Xizhi created a new style of regular script, which is beautiful and convenient, and also created the highest standard of cursive script, and was known as the "book saint".
Wang Xianzhi broke the pattern of his father, Wang Xizhi, and created a continuous grass (that is, big grass) with characters connected.
The famous calligraphers in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty were Yang Xin and Zen master Zhi Yong (the seventh grandson of Wang Xizhi)
There were three famous cursive writers in Tang Dynasty: Sun, Huai Su and Zhang Xu. Sun is the "two kings" of grass; Zhang Xu and Huai Su pushed the weeds to the top. He, Gao Xian, etc.
Huang Tingjian, a master of cursive script in Song Dynasty, found a new way on the weeds.
In the Yuan Dynasty, there were Zhao Ziang, Idle Fish Tree and Kang Likui.
In the early Ming Dynasty, there was Cao Zhang in Song Ke; Zhu Yunming and Wang Chong in the middle period; There were Dong Qichang, Xing Dong, Mi and Xu Wei in the late Ming Dynasty.
There were Fu Shan and Wang Duo in Qing Dynasty. Wang Duo's cursive script is favored by the Japanese, and he is praised as the "queen king" rather than the "former king". The former king refers to Wang Duo, and the former king refers to Wang Xizhi)
Yu Youren and others in the Republic of China.
After liberation, there were Mao Zedong and Cao Sheng Lin Sanzhi.
With regard to several peaks of cursive script development, Mr. Li Mujiao published an article "On Contemporary Cursive Script Creation" in the third edition of Calligraphy Guide on February 18, 2009, holding that: "In addition to practical factors such as the evolution of characters, the first peak of cursive script art development is Zhang Zhi and' Two Kings'.
As a sign; The Tang dynasty was the peak, and the meaning of drunkenness was not in wine; The Song Dynasty was a time when Huang Tingjian lived alone. From the middle of Ming Dynasty to the beginning of Qing Dynasty, the development of cursive script in China reached a magnificent peak, from Dong Qichang and Zhu Yunming to Wang Duo, Fu Shan, Huang Daozhou and Zhang Ruitu.