Learners should first set the correct writing posture and master the correct writing method. This is not only related to whether you can practice Chinese characters well in the future, but also to the health of the writer. If you happen to know the knowledge of meditation or qigong, you will find that the requirements of calligraphy posture are similar to those of practicing qigong. Over time, you can naturally cultivate vitality and keep fit.
First, writing posture
There are two main writing postures of brush: one is sitting in a book posture, and the other is standing in a book posture. The former is mainly used for writing small-diameter characters and small-format works, while the latter is generally used for writing large-diameter characters and large-format works.
(1) sitting posture
The correct posture of sitting on a book can be summarized in eight words: straight head, straight body, open arms and steady feet.
1. The key to opening the arm is that the two arms open naturally, and the included angle between the big arm and the small arm exceeds 90, so that the four joints of finger, wrist, elbow and shoulder can cooperate easily and harmoniously, and the strength of the body can be smoothly transmitted to the pen tip;
2. To meet the above requirements, you should try to sit up straight. The distance between the chest and the edge of the table is about 3 inches (adjust the distance according to the size of the handwriting). Don't lean against the desktop or hunch over;
3. Keep your head straight, keep your head straight and lean forward slightly. Do not skew, ensure that the viewing angle is moderate, and the distance between the eyes and the paper is roughly maintained at 30-40 cm. Hold down the paper on the left hand side and adjust the position of the paper so that the words being written are always in the best range of eyes and hands.
4. Put your feet flat naturally, and bend your legs flat. When your feet are parallel or slightly forward, your legs should not cross.
(2) Standing posture
The posture of the book is to hang your wrist flexibly, and at the same time, because of the condescending and wide perspective, it is easy to observe the overall situation and master the rules. The specific requirements of book-standing posture are: feet slightly apart, feet slightly leaning forward, maintaining body balance, upper body slightly leaning forward, waist slightly arched, and the distance should not be too far. Press the paper with your left hand and write with your right hand hanging down your wrist. It is worth noting that the desktop should not be too low to avoid excessive bending and fatigue.
Second, the writing method
The ancients attached great importance to the method of writing, saying that "whoever learns calligraphy should learn to write first." There are many ways to write in ancient times, such as twisting the tube, holding the tube, pulling the stirrup, three fingers and five fingers. There are also different views on the tightness of writing. Wang Xizhi argues that it is important to write, and only by writing tightly can you concentrate on using a pen. Su Dongpo advocates being open-minded, that is, holding the pen loosely and making it easy to turn the pen. In fact, "tightness" and "looseness" are two contradictory aspects that are both opposite and unified. Writing is for good strokes, so "tight" means that the pen tip can be well controlled to prevent it from drifting and sliding, while "loose" means that the pen in the hand is flexible and the pen tip can be changed at will, so that the word has a lasting appeal. The scientific method of writing can be summarized as: the pen is vertical, the fingers are empty, and it is natural to relax.
(a) The pen is vertical.
The pen holder is straight, that is to say, the pen holder should be basically vertical to the paper, so as to ensure the central stroke, specifically, the pen holder is vertical, which is convenient for adjusting the direction of the eight-sided pen tip. It is worth pointing out that in the process of carrying a pen, with the swing of the wrist, the pen holder will fall in the direction indicated by the pen tip. For example, when writing a horizontal picture, the pen holder will tilt to the left, and when writing a vertical picture, the pen holder will tilt forward. This is completely reasonable, but it is not allowed to cause the pen holder to fall in the direction of pen movement, and it is not allowed to fall to both sides of the stroke to form an inclined plane.
(b) refers to excessive palms.
Point to reality, pinch the pen with your fingertips, and don't tick the pen with your knuckles. Because the fingertips are sensitive, it is easy to control the subtle changes of the nib. Pinch the pen moderately with your fingers. Generally speaking, the smaller the writing, the tighter the pen and the looser the big characters. The posture of holding the pen is more important, but the posture of the book can be more relaxed.
Palm deficiency means that the palm should be empty when writing. Don't hold the ring finger and the little finger in your palm. The ancients said, "Empty space can hold eggs." In other words, there should be an egg-sized space in the palm to facilitate the flexible movement of fingers and joints.
(3) Relax naturally
When writing, you will naturally relax, and your fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders can operate flexibly, so writing will be easy. For example, if you hold chopsticks tightly while eating, the food in the bowl will not be caught in your mouth, and so will writing.