Yan Kai is called "the first regular script". What is the reason?

Yan Zhenqing is the most important representative of regular script in Tang Dynasty. He learned from others, absorbed the essence of calligraphy in past dynasties, and was brave in innovation, forming his own unique style. His calligraphy is called Yan Ti. Yan Zhenqing's regular script is round and magnificent. At that time, people figuratively compared it as "Jing Qing pressed the sword, Fan Kuai held the shield, King Kong was furious, and Lux punched". Words are like people, and Yan Zhenqing's character is like his words, upright and upright, with a kind of awe-inspiring righteousness. He was as evil as hatred and dared to speak, but he was framed to death for offending the powerful people in the DPRK. Because Yan Zhenqing is equally outstanding in character and calligraphy art, he has always been respected by later generations. Yan Zhenqing plays an important role in the history of China's calligraphy. Yan style is not as gorgeous and beautiful as Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, but it has more magnificent elements, which will gradually develop into another mainstream of calligraphy art in the future.

In fact, in the history of calligraphy, running scripts are ranked, such as Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting Collection, Yan Zhenqing's Sacrifice to My Nephew, and Su Dongpo's Huangzhou Cold Food Poetry. Later people ranked down on the basis of three running scripts, and some even ranked the top ten running scripts in the world.

But for regular script, there is no ranking in history. Only Zhong You is recognized as the originator of regular script, and there are many regular script masters. Wang Xizhi, Wang Xizhi and Zhong You were all regular script masters, and later Ou Yangxun, Liu Gongquan and Yu Shinan were all regular script masters. But why can Yan Zhenqing become the "first regular script"?

I think this has something to do with Yan Zhenqing's great innovation in style. First of all, Yan Zhenqing innovated brushwork, integrated the brushwork of seal script into regular script, combined with the bold brushwork of inscriptions in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and wrote a style completely different from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style. The brushwork changed from the inside out, and the calligraphy style was calm, which found its own direction for the writing of regular script.

On the other hand, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy works are too numerous and varied. Each copybook has its own unique features, such as many pagodas, strict elegant tablets, powerful temple tablets, fairy tales of Magu, etc., which are only different from those of calligraphers such as Liu Gongquan in one or two ways. Only a real master can do this.

Yan Zhenqing is known as "the first regular script" for his innovative brushwork and diverse styles.