Calligraphy wrist-returning method

Brush is the main writing tool of China traditional calligraphy. Writing with a brush is the same as eating and shoveling with chopsticks. If the method is wrong, it will be laborious and difficult to achieve the goal. Therefore, beginners must first learn to write correctly. There have always been many names about writing methods, and calligraphers have different views. This paper mainly introduces a method that we think is more scientific and is used by most calligraphers. This is the traditional way of writing, which is called "orange-pulling method" (see figure 1). In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Xisheng summed up the essentials of this writing in five words: du, pledge, tick, uncover and reach. The following is a brief explanation in turn:

Push out means to press, that is, press the pen tube with the rib of the thumb and press it hard to the right with the index finger.

Hold, the index finger bends down, hold the Beijing pen tube with the first joint near the thumb, and exert relative force with the thumb. The vibration of thumb and the pressing of index finger are mainly fixed pens. It is important to pay special attention not to hold the pen tube in the middle of the index finger, because the pen tube is very firm, but it cannot be operated flexibly.

Hook, bend your middle finger, tilt your fingertips downward and inward, rib the pen tube, hook the outside of the pen tube, and exert force in the direction of your palm. Source: Calligraphy Home, Calligraphy Home China Calligraphy Learning Network.

Jie, also known as Ge, is the bending of the ring finger, with the nail in contact with the flesh against the pen tube, outward and upward force, that is, in the opposite direction to the middle finger force. Hooks and lids are mainly used to make the pen turn when it is carried.

Yes, the little finger bends like a ring finger and clings to it. This helps to reveal the truth.

The advantage of this pen-holding method is that the five fingers naturally flex and stretch properly, and the force is even. The pen is not only stable in the hand, but also convenient to rotate back and forth and left and right when writing. There are two points to pay special attention to when writing: first, don't put all your fingers together, and don't buckle the tips of your ring finger and little finger into the palm socket, otherwise you won't be able to move freely when writing. The ancients said that when writing, you should "grasp the palm of your hand". The so-called "referring to reality" is to implement the writing power of fingers, so that the five brothers can work together in Qi Xin, perform their duties and do their best. The so-called "insufficient palm" means not to cling to the five fingers, so that the fingers and pen tube naturally keep a certain distance from the palm, forming a certain gap. Whether it is "pointing to reality" or "lack of palms", it is to ensure the "elasticity" of writing. Some people understand that "pointing to reality" means squeezing the pen tube hard, and "palm deficiency" means that you should be able to hold an egg in your palm when writing (that is, you should always keep your fingers in a certain posture when writing, otherwise the egg will fall to the ground). This is the postscript, incredible. Second, don't hold the pen too tightly. I don't know when someone began to spread a story that Wang Xianzhi practiced calligraphy when he was six or seven years old. His father Wang Xizhi drew a pen from behind, but he couldn't, so Wang Xianzhi became a great calligrapher. It is impossible for a mature man to pull out a pen from a child unless the child is a genius Hercules. This story, even if there was one in those days, only shows that Wang Xianzhi was not only attentive but also empathetic when he was a child. He first came to "sneak attack" to pull out the pen, and was immediately discovered by him, deliberately writing without pulling out the pen tube. Source: Calligraphy Home, Calligraphy Home China Calligraphy Learning Network. Later, people misunderstood that Wang Xianzhi's pen tube died when he was writing, so according to this story, a sentence was deduced that he should "crush this tube" when he was writing. If you want to crush the pen tube, you must suck the milk with your strength. Hold the pen too tightly, the bowl will die, the arm will die, and it will be stiff. How can you let the pen wave freely in your hand and write it vividly? If we want to "crush this chopstick knife" when eating, peanut beans will definitely not get caught in our mouths. If we want to "crush this knife" when riding a bicycle, we will definitely fall into the ditch. Isn't it "a truth" to write with a pen? Of course, using a pen requires a certain amount of strength, but the strength should be moderate, steady and loose, and loose and tight, which naturally changes with the size of handwriting and the strength of strokes. Never be tense. The story of Wang Xizhi's pen has been passed down through the ages. It is not only a household name, but also a "sweet story" that many parents and teachers must say in the first lesson of enlightenment. It can be said that it is very poisonous. This fallacy should have been refuted long ago.

There have been many mysterious sayings about writing, such as writing with three fingers, putting the fingertips of the index finger and the middle finger in front of the pen tube and pressing the thumb inside the pen tube, all of which make an arc to hold the pen tube and make it round, which is called the "Tianzhu method"; If the tiger's mouth is oblate, it is called "phoenix eye method"; There is also the "phoenix eye method" of twisting the wrist inward; There are also thousands of wrists twisted inward, also known as "wrist-returning method" (Figure 2), and so on. It's hard and awkward to write like this, and it's really awkward to get it. "There is no fixed method for writing, (Su Dongpo). There are differences in the size, thickness and shape of pens, as well as in the size, style and writing place. Naturally, calligraphers can use different writing methods according to different situations and their own habits, and they don't have to stick to one, but they always have to be flexible in writing and easy to show their artistic effect of stippling.