On the Original Text and Translation of Zhang Changshi's Twelve Meanings of Writing Style

The original text and translation of Zhang Changshi's Twelve Meanings are as follows:

Original text:

The husband is straight and similar, shaped like a symbol, integrated up and down, straight back and forth. This is not a book, but it is worth mentioning. Yesterday, Yi Song was the official of Jingzhao's regular script, with a wooden appearance and no words, but he was famous for his fear of respecting officials. If you are a regular script, you must also know that your wings are Jing Zhao XII. Husband's strength begins with bones, and books can be written. The storyteller has strong bones and weak muscles, flying around and contracting infinitely. An anxious person is close to peace, but his book is far from peace. Fake Mrs. Wei's book is like a flower arranging dancer, with low beauty; Another example is dancing sleeves and flying flowers, winding the return air.

Translation:

Straight and similar shape, like abacus beads, neat up and down, straight back and forth. This is not calligraphy, just stippling. Once upon a time, Yi Song was a regular script official of Jingzhao, with a dull appearance and no literary talent, but his awe of Fu Lang reached the extreme. Like block letters, we should also understand that Yi Song is the history of Jing Zhao.

Powerful brushwork requires a clear understanding of bones and muscles before we can talk about calligraphy. The so-called calligraphy is that the bones are strong and the tendons are weak. Once you start, it's no longer as dull and uncomfortable as holding a broken hairpin. If you use the pen quickly and almost smoothly, the shape of the word will be easily out of shape; It is as beautiful as a flower arranging dancer, with beautiful sleeves and flying flowers, and entangled air.

The Background of Zhang Changshi s Twelve Meanings of Style;

1, Twelve Meanings of Zhang Changshi's Writing Style is written by Zhang Xu, a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, and is one of the works of calligraphy theory in ancient China. Zhang Xu is a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, famous for his cursive script, and known as "the sage of grass". Its cursive style is unique and its brushwork is bold, so it is known as "Zhangdian", and it is also called "Eight Immortals of Drinking" with Li Bai and He Ren.

2. The background of Zhang Changshi's Twelve Meanings can be traced back to the cultural atmosphere and social environment in the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, China enjoyed social stability, economic prosperity and cultural development reached its peak. Calligraphy, as a cultural phenomenon at that time, was highly respected by people. In this context, Zhang Xu's cursive script has attracted much attention, and its calligraphy style and unique brushwork have also been widely recognized and passed down.

3. The creation purpose of Twelve Meanings of Zhang Changshi's brushwork is mainly to explain the essence of Zhang Xu's brushwork and the artistic conception of calligraphy. In this book, Zhang Xu emphasized the expressive force and innovation of calligraphy art, and advocated that calligraphers should pay attention to the expression of nature, freedom and individuality. He also put forward the concept of "twelve meanings", including the beginning and end of using a pen, hiding dew, lifting and pressing, and illness, and elaborated the methods and skills of using a pen in detail.