Regular script plays an important role in the long history of the evolution of Chinese characters, and it is also an indispensable practice style for beginners. Regular script has played a key role in promoting the development of Chinese characters, which is also the internal reason why regular script has been widely used so far.
0 1, the origin of regular script
Concept of regular script: "Kai" in the name of regular script means Fa and Kai. Because of its square shape and straight strokes, it can be used as a model, hence the name regular script. The name of regular script first appeared in the Southern Dynasties. Yang Xin's "Selected Names of Ancient Nengshu" said: "Shan Wei is in a hurry, and Zhao Jing is good at regular script." In fact, in ancient times, the concept of regular script was wider than it is now. Before the Tang Dynasty, regular script also referred to stereotyped writing and official script, but the official script in Qin and Han Dynasties was an ancient script and could not be called stereotyped writing or official script. From the early Tang Dynasty, the official script was first changed to eight points, and then eight points and official script were mixed into official script. During the Western Han Dynasty, official script was once called authentic, including official script, eight-part essay and official script. It was not until the Northern Song Dynasty that the title of official script was replaced by regular script.
Origin of regular script: There are different opinions about the origin of regular script, such as Wei Heng's Four Books in the Western Jin Dynasty: "The official calligrapher is also the head of seal script, and Wang Ci of Shanggu makes regular script." This sentence is inaccurate, just as Zhang Huaiguan said that the running script was founded by Wang Cizhong. Both regular script and running script are the result of the collective efforts of a large number of people. There are four theories about the origin of regular script:
1. Regular script originated in Cao Zhang.
2. Regular script originated from running script.
3. Regular script originated from Cao Li or Guli's mother.
4. Regular script originated from official script.
Types of regular script
1. Through the division of times
Throughout the ages, regular script can be roughly divided into three categories: regular script in Wei and Jin Dynasties, regular script in Southern and Northern Dynasties and regular script in Tang Dynasty.
The regular script in Wei and Jin Dynasties, referred to as "Jin Kai" for short, mainly refers to the small script calligraphy represented by Zhong You, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty from the end of Han Dynasty to Wei and Jin Dynasties.
The regular script in the Northern and Southern Dynasties is also called Weibei, Beibei and Weikai, which mainly refers to the regular script inscribed on the tablet in the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, Wei Bei once again carried forward. The main characteristics of Weibei are: 1. The overall shape is "square" and "dense". Second, most of them are not bound by laws and regulations. Third, the composition of the knife carving is relatively heavy.
Regular script in Tang Dynasty mainly refers to regular script that matured after the early Tang Dynasty. It was taken from the inscriptions in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty and innovated, which made regular script reach its peak.
2. Through the division of font size
According to the size of regular script. Divide regular script into big, medium and small characters.
Generally speaking, "big block letters" refer to regular script with a diameter of more than two inches to the size of a fist. The big character becomes "Bangshu", which means sawdust, and is extended to a plaque, which was called "Bu" in ancient times, so the name of Bangshu was called "Bu Shu" in ancient times.
"Zhong Kai" is commonly known as "Cunkai", with a word diameter of about one inch.
"Small script" refers to regular script with a diameter less than two or three centimeters. When practicing calligraphy, you can't write in block letters or in print.
The development of regular script is the embryonic stage of regular script;
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, regular script took shape and was in the ascendant. During the Three Kingdoms period, not only official script was transformed into regular script, but other scripts were also developing. 1984, ink was found in the cemetery of Zhu Ran, a right strategist in Sajima of the Three Kingdoms and his family. From these inks, we can see the clues of regular script strokes. Zhong You's regular script "Declaration Form" and "Recommended Season Table" in the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms are representative works of the transformation from official script to regular script.
Development stage of regular script: Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties is the development period of regular script, during which seal script, official script, regular script and cursive script have also been basically finalized.
The representative figure of the Wei Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms is Zhong You, whose representative works include Epiphany Table, River Festival Table, Recommended Season Table, Force Life Table, Tomb Notes and so on. The characteristic of Zhong You's lower case is that it extends straight down with brushwork, which changes the swallow-tail of silkworm head and weakens the brushwork of official script.
The main representatives of regular script in Jin Dynasty are Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. Wang Xizhi's Huang Tingjing is the top grade in small letters. For those who learn lowercase, this post can't be bypassed. Wang Xianzhi's Ode to Luoshen is also a lowercase classic. Although there are only 13 lines, it is flexible, beautiful and paternal.
Most of the calligraphy remains in the Southern and Northern Dynasties are steles, cliff stone carvings, epitaphs, statues and scriptures. Generally speaking, it belongs to the period of imperfect regular script, because the fonts are mostly between official script and official script, and official script words are less meaningful. His representative works include Yan Long Monument, Liu Huaimin's Epitaph, Xiao Dan Monument, Zheng Wengong Monument, Shi Xiang, Zhang Menglong Monument, Yuan Zhen's Epitaph, and Carving Zun's Epitaph. The famous regular script inscriptions in Sui Dynasty include Longzang Temple Monument, Dong Epitaph, Su Ci Epitaph, etc., and the famous ink in Sui Dynasty is "A Thousand-character Text of Zhi Yong Zhen Cao".
The mature stage of regular script: If the Jin Dynasty reached the first peak in the development of China calligraphy history, then the Tang Dynasty was the second peak.
There were many famous regular script writers in the Tang Dynasty, including Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and Xue Qi in the early Tang Dynasty. In the middle Tang Dynasty, there were Xu Hao and Yan Zhenqing; In the late Tang Dynasty, there were Liu Gongquan and Pei Xiu.
The general characteristics of regular script in Tang Dynasty are strict statutes and dignified posture. Ou Yangxun's representative works include Jiucheng Palace, Huadu Temple, Yugong Palace and Huangfu Birthday. Yu Shinan's masterpiece "Confucius Temple Monument"; Chu Suiliang's representative works "Preface to the Sermon of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda" and "The Seal of the Big Characters"; Yukime's masterpiece "Nobuyuki Zen Master Monument"; Xu Hao's masterpiece "Epitaph of Chen Shangxian"; Yan Zhenqing's representative works Yan Liqin and Confessions; Liu Gongquan's masterpiece "Mysterious Tower" and "Shence Monument"; Pei Xiu's "Guifeng Zen Master Monument".
Significance of learning regular script: Some people think that regular script is not the basis of learning calligraphy. They think that there are official script, seal script and Oracle Bone Inscriptions before regular script, so we should start with older characters. This is a misunderstanding.
Zhang Huaiguan's six-body calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty said: "The proportion of real calligraphy, running calligraphy and cursive calligraphy is very large." Zhang Huaiguan's action of employing people must be to write plays, lines and cursive. Regular script is like a child crawling and standing, running script is like walking, cursive script is like running. If you can't stand, you won't leave. What about climbing the mountain? Regular script is very inclusive, and the basic strokes and structure of running script are similar to regular script, but the connection and ellipsis of strokes are much faster, which is a "shortcut" to put it bluntly.
Sun's book spectrum also emphasizes the relationship between cursive script and regular script: "I really don't know how to draw, but I will be fascinated by cursive script." Regular script is very rigorous, and it will be much easier to learn other things after learning regular script well.
? Beginners are advised to practice calligraphy from regular script, followed by official script, because the structure of official script and regular script is basically similar.