From ancient times to the present, there are many kinds of writing methods, which can be said to have everything. According to the textual research of the late famous calligrapher Mr. Sha Menghai from the writing posture of the writers in ancient paintings, the ancients wrote China's calligraphy with three-fingered calligraphy. Because people at that time were sitting cross-legged on the ground, and some were still kneeling on the ground with their hips on their knees. At that time, there were no benches or tables, only machines such as coffee tables, because the machines were very low and you had to hang your hands when writing. This law spread to Japan and has been used ever since. In the next generation, tables, chairs and benches began to prevail, and living habits changed accordingly, and the writing method became the five-grid writing method. Su Dongpo, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, still writes with three fingers. At that time, someone pointed out that his writing was wrong, but he said that "there is no fixed method for writing, and it should be empty and wide", that is to say, there is no certain standard method for writing, as long as the palm of your hand is empty, it will be handy. Another example is the tube-holding method, which uses the palm of your hand to grasp the pen and write. Pinch tube method is to put the fingertips of five fingers together and hold the end of the pen to write. There are many ancient writing methods, but they are widely used. It can also be said that the five-finger writing method of "press, press, hook, push and reach" was generally accepted at that time.
Second, the five-finger writing method
The "five-finger pen-holding method" is to hold the pen firmly with all five fingers of the right hand by means of "pressing, pressing, hooking, pushing and extending", so that the fingers can perform their respective duties. The specific method of holding the pen is: the inside of the first book of the thumb presses the side of the pen holder, and the thumb is in a slightly horizontal lateral state. Press the pen from the outside to the inside at the first or second joint of the index finger. The middle finger is next to the index finger and hooks the pen. The ring finger is close to the middle finger, and the root of the first nail is close to the pen to resist the pressing force of the index finger and the middle finger. Press the little finger under the inside of the ring finger to help. In this way, the strength of the five fingers evenly surrounds the three sides of the pen, making the pen fixed and the palm empty. The same is the five-finger pen-holding method, which forms many forms because of the opening and closing of the hand lattice, whether the pen is held at the fingertip or at the second joint of the finger. The ancients called it "phoenix eye", "tiger's mouth" and "goose's head" and so on.
Three, pillow wrist, wrist hanging and elbow hanging
Pillow wrist: Pillow wrist is a writing method in which the wrist of a pen is placed on a table or on the back of the left hand. There is also a kind of bamboo called "handrail", which is used to let go and is usually used in summer. Because it is easy to sweat in summer, the sweat on your hands is easy to wet the paper. Pillow-wrist brush calligraphy is suitable for writing small characters or one-inch square middle characters because the wrist is leaning on the table, but it is difficult to move because the wrist is dead. If you write bigger words, you have to write with your elbows down.
Wrist hanging: Wrist hanging is a writing method in which the wrist holding the pen hangs off the desktop and the elbow (the movable part protruding from the joint between the upper arm and the forearm) still leans against the desktop. In this way, the range of motion of the wrist is larger than that of the pillow wrist method, and the arm and elbow joint are still leaning on the table, which is relatively stable, and you can write in block letters of two or three inches. Write couplets or broken Chinese characters by hanging your elbow.
Hanging elbow: Hanging elbow is a method of writing brush characters with all pen holding arms suspended. This method is the best way to write, no matter whether it is big or small, it can be used freely without any obstacles. It is also a common method used by calligraphers. Miti, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, even used the elbow hanging method to write fine print, which shows his deep skill. Of course, novices don't have to do this.
When we are practicing brush calligraphy, in the primary stage, because we are completely unfamiliar with the performance of the brush, we can first write two or three inches long regular script by hanging our wrists. After a period of practice, we have a little grasp of brushwork, and our hands are getting used to it, so we can practice hanging our elbows. Of course, suddenly my arms are suspended, and it will be difficult to get up. Hands will be numb and sore, just stick to it and it will be solved. Fast is a week, slow is a month. If you are afraid of pain at first, or look at the handwriting that is not as good as when you were resting on your wrist before, you still put your arm back on the desktop, and you may not be able to hang your arm for life.
There was a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty. Because I can't get through hanging my elbow, my wrist has been resting on the table when I write calligraphy, and I can't write big characters. So he hung a rope on the roof beam to form a rope loop and wrote his gloves in the loop. It can be seen that it is very troublesome not to hang your elbow.