What are the categories of calligraphy styles that Chinese calligraphy is roughly divided into?
Chinese calligraphy can be roughly divided into five calligraphy styles, namely seal script, official script, cursive script, running script, and regular script
1. Seal script: it can be divided into two categories: small seal script and large seal script.
Xiaozhuan, also known as Qin Zhuan, is the standard font promulgated by Qin Shihuang when he implemented the "scripts with the same text" policy after he unified China.
Part of Qin Lisi's "Yishan Stele"
Big Seal Script: All characters before Small Seal Script can be called "big". Including oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, Warring States characters, etc.
Yin Shang Oracle Bone Inscriptions
Western Zhou Dynasty Bronze Inscriptions "Sanshi Pan" Inscriptions
Part of Pre-Qin "Shigu Inscriptions"
2. Official Script: It is a Chinese character from the Qin and Han Dynasties In the process of physical evolution, a new font was formed by gradually replacing the line structure of the seal script with a dotted structure. Even the small seal script that has been standardized and organized in ancient times is mostly composed of curved and looping lines, which is extremely inconvenient to write. In order to adapt to society. In order to meet the needs of development, people have to break through the constraints of the old fonts and seek a new and convenient style. There are many inscriptions inherited from the official script, among which the "Zhang Qian Stele" and "Cao Quan Stele" of the Han Dynasty are the most famous.
Part of the "Cao Quan Stele" in the Han Dynasty
Part of the "Zhang Qian Stele" in the Han Dynasty
3. Cursive script: refers to cursive Chinese characters that have a certain standard in calligraphy and are self-contained. . It includes Zhangcao, Jincao and Kuangcao. It is a calligraphy style with simple writing, lively lines, varied and full of interest. Zhangcao is also called Licao. It uses symbols to reduce the strokes of official script, and the characters are independent and preserved. The calligraphy style of official script. Jincao is also called Xiaocao, which is based on Zhangcao and developed from Zhengshu. Kuangcao is also called Dacao and is a kind of cursive script. Indulgent cursive script
Tang Zhangxu's "Tie of Belly Pain"
Tang Huaisu's "On Calligraphy"
Part of Tang Sun Guoting's "Book Book"
4. Running script: It originated in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, at the same time as the birth of regular script, or slightly earlier than regular script. It evolved and developed on the basis of official script by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It has been recognized as a model of mature running script.
"Preface to the Lanting Collection" by Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (copied by Feng Chengsu of the Tang Dynasty)
5. Regular script: also called true script and regular script, produced in At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it became popular in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, was written in the Tang Dynasty, and is still in use today. Regular script can be divided into three major systems according to the chronological order of its appearance:
1. Wei-Jin regular script: based on the Wei and Jin Dynasties, mainly based on the script. The form of small regular script exists. It is represented by the small regular script of Zhong Yao, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, with the emphasis on small regular script. For example, Zhong Yao's "Xuanzhi Biao", "He Jie Biao", "Jian Ji Zhi Biao", Wang Xizhi's "Le Yi Lun" and "Huang Ting Jing". "Praise to Dongfang Shuo's Paintings", Wang Xianzhi's "Thirteen Lines of Luo Shen Fu", etc.
Part of "Thirteen Lines of Luo Shen Fu" by Wang Xianzhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty
2. The stele of the Northern Wei Dynasty. A type of form mainly based on the stele of the era. Later, this form was generalized. All calligraphy works of this type are collectively called Wei stele style. Wei stele is the first glory after the official script became regular script, with various styles. It roughly includes various forms such as cliff inscriptions, statues, epitaphs, tablets, etc.
Part of "Zhang Menglong Stele"
Part of "Zhang Xuan's Epitaph"
3. Tang Kai. . This is a typical regular script. Tang Kai refers to the mainstream calligraphy style of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in which the regular script is fully mature and finalized. From the perspective of calligraphy, it is a popular or popular calligraphy style.
Part of "Mysterious Tower" by Liu Gongquan, Tang Dynasty
Part of "Yan Qinli Stele" by Yan Zhenqing, Tang Dynasty