中国书法英文版

中国书法英文介绍Title:Chinese CalligraphyChinese calligraphy is a unique and profound art form in China. It has a long history that can be traced back thousands of years.Chinese calligraphy originated from the inscriptions on oracle bones in the Shang Dynasty. These inscriptions were mainly used for divination and recording important events. As time passed, different styles of calligraphy gradually emerged. For example, during the Qin Dynasty, the official script (Lishu) became popular, which was more standardized compared to the previous styles. In the Han Dynasty, calligraphy continued to develop, and the cursive script (Caoshu) started to take shape.The basic tools for Chinese calligraphy are the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, which are collectively known as the “Four Treasures of the Study”. The brush is made of animal hair, such as wolf hair or sheep hair. The ink is usually made from soot and glue, which can produce different shades of black when diluted with water. The paper, especially the rice paper(Xuanzhi), has a special texture that is suitable for ink absorption. The inkstone is used for grinding the ink.There are five main styles of Chinese calligraphy, namely, seal script (Zhuanshu), official script (Lishu), regular script (Kaishu), running script (Xingshu), and cursive script (Caoshu). Seal script is often used for seals and has a very archaic and solemn appearance. Official script is more square - shaped and has clear strokes. Regular script is the most standardized style, with each stroke having a fixed shape and position. Running script is a combination of regular script and cursive script, with a flowing and natural rhythm. Cursive script is the most free - style, with the strokes often connected and abbreviated, showing the calligrapher's strong emotions and creativity.Chinese calligraphy is not only a form of writing but also a way of expressing the calligrapher's personality, mood, and aesthetic taste. It reflects Chinese philosophy and cultural values. For example, the balance and harmony in calligraphy strokes are in line with the concept of “Yin - Yang”in Chinese philosophy. Moreover, calligraphy is also an important part of Chinese cultural heritage. It has influenced other Asian countries' calligraphy and art forms.In conclusion, Chinese calligraphy is a remarkable art form that combines writing, art, and cultural connotations. It is a precious treasure of Chinese culture and has attracted the attention and admiration of people all over the world.。

CalligraphyCalligraphy is understood in China as the art of writing a good hand with the brush or the study of the rules and techniques of this art. As such it is peculiar to China and the few countries influenced by ancient Chinese culture.In the history of Chinese art, calligraphy has always been held in equal importance topainting. Great attention is also paid today to its development by holding exhibitions ofancient and contemporary works and by organizing competitions among youngstersand people from various walks of life. Sharing of experience in this field often makes afeature in Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with the hieroglyphs and, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture.ClassificationChinese scripts are generally divided into five categories:The seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regular script (kai), therunning hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao).1) The zhuan script or seal character was the earliest form of writing after the oracleinscriptions, which must have caused great inconvenience because they lackeduniformity and many characters were written in variant forms. The first effort for theunification of writing, it is said, took place during the reign of King Xuan (827-782 B. C.)of the Western Zhou Dynasty, when his taishi (grand historian) Shi Zhou compiled alexicon of 15 chapters, standardizing Chinese writing under script called zhuan. It isalso known as zhouwen after the name of the author. This script, often used in seals, istranslated into English as the seal character, or as the "curly script" after the shape ofits strokes.Shi Zhou's lexicon (which some thought was written by a later author of the state of Qin) had long been lost, yet it is generally agreed that the inscriptions on the drum-shaped Qin stone blocks were basically of the same style as the old zhuan script.When, in 221 B. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the whole of China under one central government, he ordered his Prime Minister Li Si to collect and sort out all the different systems of writing hitherto prevalent in different parts of the country in a great effort to unify the written language under one system. What Li did, in effect, was to simplify the ancient zhuan (small seal) script.Today we have a most valuable relic of this ancient writing in the creator Li Si's own hand engraved on a stele standing in the Temple to the God of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. The 2,200-year-old stele, worn byage and weather, has only nine and a half characters left on it.2) The lishu (official script) came in the wake of the xiaozhuan in the same short-lived Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B. C.). This was because the xiaozhuan, though a simplified form of script, was still too complicated for the scribes in the various government offices who had to copy an increasing amount of documents. Cheng Miao, a prison warden, made a further simplification of the xiaozhuan, changing the curly strokes into straight and angular ones and thus making writing much easier. A further step away from the pictographs, it was named lishu because li in classical Chinese meant "clerk" or "scribe". Another version says that Cheng Miao, because of certain offence, became a prisoner and slave himself; as the ancients also called bound slaves "li", so the script was named lishu or the "script of a slave".3) The lishu was already very close to, and led to the adoption of, kaishu, regular script. The oldest existing example of this dates from the Wei (220-265), and the script developed under the Jin (265-420). The standard writing today is square in form, non-cursive and architectural in style. The characters are composed of a number of strokes out of a total of eight kinds-the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising, the left-falling (short and long) and the right-falling strokes. Any aspirant for the status of calligrapher must start by learning to write a good hand in kaishu.4) On the basis of lishu also evolved caoshu (grass writing or cursive hand), which is rapid and used for making quick but rough copies. This style is subdivided into two schools: zhangcao and jincao.The first of these emerged at the time the Qin was replaced by the Han Dynasty between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B. C. The characters, though written rapidly, still stand separate one from another and the dots are not linked up with other strokes.Jincao or the modern cursive hand is said to have been developed by Zhang Zhi (?-c. 192 A. D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Tang dynasties and is still widely popular today.It is the essence of the caoshu, especially jincao, that the characters are executed swiftly with the strokes running together. The characters are often joined up, with the last stroke of the first merging into the initial stroke of the next. They also vary in size in the same piece of writing, all seemingly dictated by the whims of the writer.A great master at caoshu was Zhang Xu (early 8th century) of the Tang Dynasty, noted for the complete abandon with which he applied the brush. It is said that he would not set about writing until he had got drunk. This he did, allowing the brush to "gallop" across the paper, curling, twisting or meandering in one unbroken stroke, thus creating an original style. Today one may still see fragments of a stele carved with characters in his handwriting, kept in the Provincial Museum of Shaanxi.The best example and model for xingshu, all Chinese calligraphers will agree, is the Inscription on Lanting Pavilion in the hand of Wang Xizhi (321-379) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. To learn to write a nice hand in Chinese calligraphy, assiduous and persevering practice is necessary. This has been borne out by the many great masters China has produced. Wang Xizhi, the great artist just mentioned, who has exerted a profound influence on, and has been held in high esteem by, calligraphers and scholars throughout history, is said to have blackened in his childhood all the water of a pond in front of his house by washing the writing implements in it after his dailyexercises. Another master, Monk Zhiyong of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) was so industrious in learning calligraphy that he filled many jars with worn-out writing brushes, which he buried in a "tomb of brushes".Renewed interest in brush-writing has been kindled today among the pupils in China, some of whom already show promises as worthy successors to the ancient masters.Four Treasures of the StudyTo produce Chinese characters one will need a brush, paper, ink stick and inkstone, commonly referred to as the "Four Treasures of the Study". To learncalligraphy, it is necessary to learn about these tools.While brushes are varied, white-goat-hair, black-rabbit-hair and yellow-weasel-hairbrushes are the main ones. On the basis of function, brushes are classified into three groups: hard, soft and both. Brush handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. The most famous ink stick ishui mo(Anhui ink stick), made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick, which must be balanced in the hand during the grinding or rubbing process. Press hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid-ink forms.Paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). While paper comes in many varieties, Xuan paper, produced in the Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (today's Anhui Province), is considered the best for Chinese calligraphy. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting. With a good tensile strength and mothproof quality, the paper can be preserved for a long time.Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,SheandTao. Features common to all three ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Although the stone is hard and fine, it is not dry or slippery. Using a hard, smooth stone, liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone.By controlling the flexibility of the brush, the concentration of the ink and the absorbency of the paper, the artist can produce an infinite variety of calligraphic styles and forms.Calligraphy: Leader of All Art FormsFew nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development.Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait ofthe person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form.Calligraphy is also a practical fine art. Exotic calligraphic inscriptions written on paper, wooden plaques or stone tablets serve as decorations of a deep artistic value.Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. Closely associated with paintings -- the two leaders of Chinese art forms -- calligraphy takes precedence over painting since it greatly inspired the art of painting. Moreover, calligraphy has influenced other typically Chinese art forms like classical poetry, seal-cutting, sculpture, traditional music and dance, architecture and handicrafts.Calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and body. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise for physical and spiritual well-being. Historically, many calligraphic artists lived to a ripe, old age.An Art of the OrientChinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. Like chopsticks, calligraphy was once entirely Chinese, but as Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of the Oriental art.Calligraphy is even wildly accepted by the West; as once Picasso said, "Had I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter." Many calligraphic elements are being adopted by modern western art.。

英语作文万能模板中国书法Chinese Calligraphy。

Chinese calligraphy, also known as “Shufa” in Chinese, is a traditional art form that has been practiced for thousands of years. It is not only a means of communication but also a form of artistic expression that embodies the beauty of Chinese culture and language. Chinese calligraphy is highly regarded for its aesthetic value, and it is considered a reflection of the calligrapher’s personality, emotions, and inner thoughts.The history of Chinese calligraphy can be traced back to ancient China, where it was developed as a way to record important events and communicate with others. Over time, it evolved into a highly respected art form that is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Chinese calligraphy is characterized by its unique brush strokes, use of ink and paper, and emphasis on rhythm and balance. It is often considered a form of meditation, as calligraphers must concentrate and focus their minds while creating their artwork.One of the most important aspects of Chinese calligraphy is the use of the “Four Treasures of the Study,” which include the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The brush is typically made from animal hair, such as wolf, rabbit, or goat, and it is used to create the intricate and expressive strokes that are characteristic of Chinese calligraphy. The ink is made from soot and glue, and it is ground on an inkstone and mixed with water to create the perfect consistency for writing. The paper used for calligraphy is often made from rice or mulberry bark, and it is carefully selected for its texture and absorbency.There are several different styles of Chinese calligraphy, each with its own unique characteristics and history. The most well-known styles include seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. Each style has its own set of rules and techniques, and calligraphers spend years practicing and mastering their chosen style. The art of Chinese calligraphy requires patience, discipline, and a deep understanding of the Chinese language and culture.Chinese calligraphy is not only a visual art form but also a way of preserving and passing down the wisdom and traditions of Chinese culture. It is often used to write poems, historical documents, and philosophical texts, and it is considered an important part of Chinese literature. Calligraphy is also used in traditional Chinese painting, as calligraphers often collaborate with painters to create beautiful and harmonious works of art.In recent years, Chinese calligraphy has gained popularity around the world, and many people from different cultures have become interested in learning this ancient art form. There are now many schools and workshops that offer classes in Chinese calligraphy, and there are also online resources available for those who wish to study on their own. Chinese calligraphy has also been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, further cementing its importance and influence on the world stage.In conclusion, Chinese calligraphy is a unique and beautiful art form that has played a significant role in Chinese culture for thousands of years. It is a reflection of the Chinese language, history, and traditions, and it continues to be a source of inspiration and admiration for people around the world. As a timeless and revered art form, Chinese calligraphy will undoubtedly continue to captivate and inspire future generations for years to come.。

Chinese character and Chinese calligraphy [kə'liɡrəfi] As we know, Calligraphy is the art of making beautiful or elegant['eliɡənt] handwriting, the Chinese calligraphy is not only very beautiful but also verypractical . It use by the scholar’s ['skɔlə] four jewels ['dʒu:əl], they are the writing brush ,ink stick（墨）, ink slab（砚）and paper.In ancient Chinese legend ['ledʒənd], the Chinese character was created by 仓颉, but in fact , the formation of Chinese characters have a very long course.Here is 仓颉, he is the official historian of黄帝，it seemed that he has 4 eyes .As human society forms, people remember things by tying a knot on the rope, then theylearned to carve some pattern ['pætən] on the stones or trunk. and these pattern became the early Hieroglyphics [,haiərə'glifiks] (象形文字).In China , the most famous Hieroglyphics is the oracle ['ɔrəkl, 'ɔ:-]（甲骨文）,you may know this word form a very famous Software company. The oracle was found in the late 19th century in An Yang, He Nan. this found shocked the world. The oracle mainly used in the Shang dynasty to sacrifice ['sækrifais] (祭祀).In the late west Zhou dynasty , with the bronze ware(青铜器) was used extensively [ik'stensivli], the seal character(金文) was also used extensively in sacrifice ,but the seal character still belonged to the Hieroglyphics.In Chungqiu and Zhanguo dynasty ,the countries were disrupt [dis'rʌpt](分裂) and the vassals(诸侯) ['væsəla] were always make wars. Then the ethnic ['eθnik] fused (民族融合) , and the Chinese character has a big development ,especially when the QingShihuang unified China, he also unified the character .)It is the Lesser Seal(小篆), the Lesser Seal is the first unitive character in China, It is normative (规范的) and signifying ['signifaiiŋ](符号化)，so it played a great role on the Chinese character’s development.In west Han dynasty, the Lesser Seal is still the Official character ,but theLesser Seal is so difficult to write, and it is against the spread of character, so the clerical ['klerikəl] （隶书）which is simple and easy to write spread quickly. Before east Han dynasty, people write characters on bamboo slip. In east Han , papers areinvented, it made great contribution to the culture’s progress. And the clerical became the Official character in east Han dynasty.The WeiJinNanBei dynasty is the second social unrest period(社会动荡时期) in Chinese history, the people’s life were very hard and poor, but with the ethnic fused and the communication between Chinese and foreigner culture and the Buddhism ['budizəm](佛教) was introduced into China the Chinese civilization [,sivilai'zeiʃən,] (文化) had a prosperous ['prɔspərəs](繁荣) development, so as the Chinese calligraphy. The character become more regular, the running script(行书),the grass hand(草书), the regular script(楷书) appeared, the character is very similar with the character we use today. In this time ,there were many famous calligraphers(书法家) , like the钟繇, he is the ancestors of the regular script, the madam Wei(卫夫人)，she is the teacher of WangXizhi, and the two Wang , WangXizhi and WangXianzhi, they may be the most famous calligrapher in Chinese history. Especially the WangXizhi’s eternal masterpiece ['mɑ:stəpi:s, 'mæs-]（杰作）兰亭序. Here are WangXizhi’s兰亭序and初月帖, we can see WangXizhi is very good at running script, and his son WangXianzhi, not only good at running script but also good at regular script , here are his most famous opuses ['əupəs](作品)洛神赋and中秋帖 . In WeiinNanBei, the politics ['pɔlitiks] was dark and there were many recluse [ri'klu:s, 'reklu:s](隐士)，like陶渊明,嵇康, then the character formed a style with natual, free and uninhibited [,ʌnin'hibitid] (无拘束的).The tang dynasty is very famous in the world ,because of it’s strong national strength and it’s prosperous and multivariate [,mʌlti'vεəriit, -eit](多元的) culture. The rulers attach importance to the education and calligraphy, The rulers like唐太宗, 唐玄宗, 武则天, are also good calligraphers . Because of effectuation(实行) of the Imperial Examination System(科举制)，the regular script became more and more popular. Tang has many excellent calligraphers too. In early Tang dynasty , therewere 4 most famous calligraphers ,they are 欧阳询，褚遂良，虞世南and 薛稷.In the mid-period of Tang dynasty, 颜真卿is very famous by his regular script, up to now , many children learn calligraphy from his 颜体, his running scrupt is very beautiful too.张旭and 怀素are very good at the grass script, they are called the sage [seidʒ](圣人) of the grass script. In the late Tang dynasty,柳公权achieved great success in calligraphy, and he is my favorite. he is as great as 颜真卿in Chinese calligraphy history, they are called颜筋柳骨, their calligraphy is very foursquare and powerful.In Song dynasty, the politics was corrupt and the rulers are fatuous['fætjuəs](昏庸的)and talentless （无能的），but the art developed prosperous. For example ,the 宋徽宗赵佶and his brother 宋高宗赵构，they are very fatuous in politics but they are great artists, they are good at calligraphy and Chinese painting, especially 宋徽宗赵佶，his famous“瘦金体”have very high artistic value. In Song dynasty ,there are many outstanding poets, and many of them are also good calligraphers, like 苏轼，黄庭坚，米芾and so on. Their calligraphy is very rakish(潇洒的) and disengaged(自由的).Here are some famous opuses ,苏轼’s 黄州寒食帖and 黄庭坚’s 诸上座帖and 米芾’s 苕溪诗帖.In Yuan dynasty, the Mongolian rule China , but the Han Chinese culture still prevail. In this time , the retro['retrəu](复古的) agitation [,ædʒi'teiʃən](风潮) was very popular.赵孟頫is one of the best four regular script calligraphers of Chinese history. In Yuang dynasty ,many good calligraphers are minority, like 鲜于枢’s 老子道德经卷and 康里巎巎’s 述笔法卷.In Ming and Qing dynasty , the rulers praise highly to theConfucianism[kən'fju:ʃjənizəm] (儒学)，and the Imperial Examination System had a big development. The feudal ['fju:dl] system(封建制度) was culminating[kʌl'mineitiŋ](达到高峰). Then it formed a new calligraphy shape which is called “台阁体”.It is very regular but exanimate [iɡ'zænimit]) (缺乏生气的). 文徵明is a very famous calligrapher in Ming dynasty , he is one of the four bel-esprit (四大才子), and he is initiator [i'niʃieitə] of 吴派. The 祝允明，解缙，翁方纲，钱沣are also the famous calligraphers in Ming and Qing dynasty.Chinese calligraphy is a resplendent(光辉的，璀璨的) jewel of China CulturalHeritage ['heritidʒ](文化遗产)，it is a great art and it can let people relaxed ,and itcan improve our spiritual realm, so I think we should pay more attention to the Chinese calligraphy. We should inherit [in'herit] this culture and move it to carry forward.That’s all .Thank you。

CalligraphyCalligraphy is understood in China as the art of writing a good hand with the brush or the study of the rules and techniques of this art. As such it is peculiar to China and the few countries influenced by ancient Chinese culture.In the history of Chinese art, calligraphy has always been held in equalimportance to painting. Great attention is also paid today to itsdevelopment by holding exhibitions of ancient and contemporary worksand by organizing competitions among youngsters and people fromvarious walks of life. Sharing of experience in this field often makes afeature in Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with the hieroglyphs and, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture.ClassificationChinese scripts are generally divided into five categories:The seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regularscript (kai), the running hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao).1) The zhuan script or seal character was the earliest form of writing afterthe oracle inscriptions, which must have caused great inconveniencebecause they lacked uniformity and many characters were written invariant forms. The first effort for the unification of writing, it is said, tookplace during the reign of King Xuan (827-782 B. C.) of the Western ZhouDynasty, when his taishi (grand historian) Shi Zhou compiled a lexicon of15 chapters, standardizing Chinese writing under script called zhuan. It isalso known as zhouwen after the name of the author. This script, oftenused in seals, is translated into English as the seal character, or as the"curly script" after the shape of its strokes.Shi Zhou's lexicon (which some thought was written by a later author of the state of Qin) had long been lost, yet it is generally agreed that the inscriptions on the drum-shaped Qin stone blocks were basically of the same style as the old zhuan script.When, in 221 B. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the whole of China under one central government, he ordered his Prime Minister Li Si to collect and sort out all the different systems of writing hitherto prevalent in different parts of the country in a great effort to unify the written language under onesystem. What Li did, in effect, was to simplify the ancient zhuan (small seal) script.Today we have a most valuable relic of this ancient writing in the creator Li Si's own hand engraved on a stele standing in the Temple to the God of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. The2,200-year-old stele, worn by age and weather, has only nine and a half characters left on it.2) The lishu (official script) came in the wake of the xiaozhuan in the same short-lived Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B. C.). This was because the xiaozhuan, though a simplified form of script, was still too complicated for the scribes in the various government offices who had to copy an increasing amount of documents. Cheng Miao, a prison warden, made a further simplification of the xiaozhuan, changing the curly strokes into straight and angular ones and thus making writing much easier. A further step away from the pictographs, it was named lishu because li in classical Chinese meant "clerk" or "scribe". Another version says that Cheng Miao, because of certain offence, became a prisoner and slave himself; as the ancients also called bound slaves "li", so the script was named lishu or the "script of a slave".3) The lishu was already very close to, and led to the adoption of, kaishu, regular script. The oldest existing example of this dates from the Wei (220-265), and the script developed under the Jin(265-420). The standard writing today is square in form, non-cursive and architectural in style. The characters are composed of a number of strokes out of a total of eight kinds-the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising, the left-falling (short and long) and the right-falling strokes. Any aspirant for the status of calligrapher must start by learning to write a good hand in kaishu.4) On the basis of lishu also evolved caoshu (grass writing or cursive hand), which is rapid and used for making quick but rough copies. This style is subdivided into two schools: zhangcao and jincao.The first of these emerged at the time the Qin was replaced by the Han Dynasty between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B. C. The characters, though written rapidly, still stand separate one from another and the dots are not linked up with other strokes.Jincao or the modern cursive hand is said to have been developed by Zhang Zhi (?-c. 192 A. D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Tang dynasties and is still widely popular today.It is the essence of the caoshu, especially jincao, that the characters are executed swiftly with the strokes running together. The characters are often joined up, with the last stroke of the first merging into the initial stroke of the next. They also vary in size in the same piece of writing, all seemingly dictated by the whims of the writer.A great master at caoshu was Zhang Xu (early 8th century) of the Tang Dynasty, noted for the complete abandon with which he applied the brush. It is said that he would not set about writing until he had got drunk. This he did, allowing the brush to "gallop" across the paper, curling, twisting ormeandering in one unbroken stroke, thus creating an original style. Today one may still see fragments of a stele carved with characters in his handwriting, kept in the Provincial Museum of Shaanxi.The best example and model for xingshu, all Chinese calligraphers will agree, is the Inscription on Lanting Pavilion in the hand of Wang Xizhi (321-379) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. To learn to write a nice hand in Chinese calligraphy, assiduous and persevering practice is necessary. This has been borne out by the many great masters China has produced. Wang Xizhi, the great artist just mentioned, who has exerted a profound influence on, and has been held in high esteem by, calligraphers and scholars throughout history, is said to have blackened in his childhood all the water of a pond in front of his house by washing the writing implements in it after his daily exercises. Another master, Monk Zhiyong of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) was so industrious in learning calligraphy that he filled many jars with worn-out writing brushes, which he buried in a "tomb of brushes".Renewed interest in brush-writing has been kindled today among the pupils in China, some of whom already show promises as worthy successors to the ancient masters.Four Treasures of the StudyTo produce Chinese characters one will need a brush, paper, inkstick and ink stone, commonly referred to as the "Four Treasures ofthe Study". To learn calligraphy, it is necessary to learn about thesetools.While brushes are varied, white-goat-hair, black-rabbit-hair and yellow-weasel-hair brushes are the main ones. On the basis of function, brushes are classified into three groups: hard, soft and both. Brush handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. The most famous ink stick ishui mo(Anhui ink stick), made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick, which must be balanced in the hand during the grinding or rubbing process. Press hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid-ink forms.Paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). While paper comes in many varieties, Xuan paper, produced in the Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (today's Anhui Province), is considered the best for Chinese calligraphy. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting. With a good tensile strength and mothproof quality, the paper can be preserved for a long time.Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,SheandTao. Features common to all three ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Although the stone is hard and fine, it is notdry or slippery. Using a hard, smooth stone, liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone.By controlling the flexibility of the brush, the concentration of the ink and the absorbency of the paper, the artist can produce an infinite variety of calligraphic styles and forms.Calligraphy: Leader of All Art FormsFew nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development.Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form.Calligraphy is also a practical fine art. Exotic calligraphic inscriptions written on paper, wooden plaques or stone tablets serve as decorations of a deep artistic value.Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. Closely associated with paintings -- the two leaders of Chinese art forms -- calligraphy takes precedence over painting since it greatly inspired the art of painting. Moreover, calligraphy has influenced other typically Chinese art forms like classical poetry, seal-cutting, sculpture, traditional music and dance, architecture and handicrafts.Calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and body. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise for physical and spiritual well-being. Historically, many calligraphic artists lived to a ripe, old age.An Art of the OrientChinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. Like chopsticks, calligraphy was once entirely Chinese, but as Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of the Oriental art.Calligraphy is even wildly accepted by the West; as once Picasso said, "Had I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter." Many calligraphic elements are being adopted by modern western art.。

用英语介绍中国文化书法Chinese calligraphy, also known as "Shufa" in Chinese,is a traditional art form that has been practiced for thousands of years in China. It is considered one of the highest forms of Chinese visual art and is admired for its beauty, elegance, and cultural significance.The history of Chinese calligraphy can be traced back to ancient China, where it was used as a means of communication and expression. Over the centuries,calligraphy has evolved into a highly respected art form, with its own set of techniques, styles, and principles.One of the most distinctive features of Chinese calligraphy is the use of brush and ink to create characters. Calligraphers use a variety of brushes,typically made from animal hair, and black ink to write on paper or silk. The strokes of the brush are carefully controlled to create a harmonious balance of form, rhythm, and space.Chinese calligraphy is not just about writing characters, but also about expressing the calligrapher's emotions andpersonality. Each stroke is infused with the calligrapher's energy and spirit, making each piece of calligraphy aunique work of art.There are several major styles of Chinese calligraphy, each with its own unique characteristics and history. These styles include Seal Script, Clerical Script, Regular Script, Running Script, and Cursive Script. Each style has its own rules and conventions, and calligraphers often spend years mastering a particular style.In addition to its artistic value, Chinese calligraphy also holds significant cultural and philosophical meanings. It is often associated with concepts such as harmony, balance, and discipline, reflecting the core principles of traditional Chinese culture.Chinese calligraphy has also had a profound influence on other forms of art and culture, such as painting, poetry, and even martial arts. Many famous Chinese artists, scholars, and poets have also been skilled calligraphers, and their works have greatly enriched the cultural heritage of China.In modern times, Chinese calligraphy continues to thrive as a cherished art form, with many enthusiasts and practitioners around the world. It is often practiced as a form of meditation and mindfulness, offering a way to cultivate inner peace and self-expression.Overall, Chinese calligraphy is a rich and profound art form that embodies the essence of Chinese culture. It is a testament to the creativity, wisdom, and spiritual depth of the Chinese people, and it continues to inspire andinfluence artists and admirers around the world.中国书法，又称“书法”，是中国传统艺术形式之一，已有数千年的历史。

CalligraphyCalligraphy is understood in China as the art of writing a good hand with the brush or the study of the rules and techniques of this art. As such it is peculiar to China and the few countries influenced by ancient Chinese culture.In the history of Chinese art, calligraphy has always been held in equalimportance to painting. Great attention is also paid today to itsdevelopment by holding exhibitions of ancient and contemporary worksand by organizing competitions among youngsters and people fromvarious walks of life. Sharing of experience in this field often makes afeature in Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with the hieroglyphs and, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture.ClassificationChinese scripts are generally divided into five categories:The seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regularscript (kai), the running hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao).1) The zhuan script or seal character was the earliest form of writing afterthe oracle inscriptions, which must have caused great inconveniencebecause they lacked uniformity and many characters were written invariant forms. The first effort for the unification of writing, it is said, tookplace during the reign of King Xuan (827-782 B. C.) of the Western ZhouDynasty, when his taishi (grand historian) Shi Zhou compiled a lexicon of15 chapters, standardizing Chinese writing under script called zhuan. It isalso known as zhouwen after the name of the author. This script, oftenused in seals, is translated into English as the seal character, or as the"curly script" after the shape of its strokes.Shi Zhou's lexicon (which some thought was written by a later author of the state of Qin) had long been lost, yet it is generally agreed that the inscriptions on the drum-shaped Qin stone blocks were basically of the same style as the old zhuan script.When, in 221 B. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the whole of China under one central government, he ordered his Prime Minister Li Si to collect and sort out all the different systems of writing hitherto prevalent in different parts of the country in a great effort to unify the written language under onesystem. What Li did, in effect, was to simplify the ancient zhuan (small seal) script.Today we have a most valuable relic of this ancient writing in the creator Li Si's own hand engraved on a stele standing in the Temple to the God of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. The2,200-year-old stele, worn by age and weather, has only nine and a half characters left on it.2) The lishu (official script) came in the wake of the xiaozhuan in the same short-lived Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B. C.). This was because the xiaozhuan, though a simplified form of script, was still too complicated for the scribes in the various government offices who had to copy an increasing amount of documents. Cheng Miao, a prison warden, made a further simplification of the xiaozhuan, changing the curly strokes into straight and angular ones and thus making writing much easier. A further step away from the pictographs, it was named lishu because li in classical Chinese meant "clerk" or "scribe". Another version says that Cheng Miao, because of certain offence, became a prisoner and slave himself; as the ancients also called bound slaves "li", so the script was named lishu or the "script of a slave".3) The lishu was already very close to, and led to the adoption of, kaishu, regular script. The oldest existing example of this dates from the Wei (220-265), and the script developed under the Jin(265-420). The standard writing today is square in form, non-cursive and architectural in style. The characters are composed of a number of strokes out of a total of eight kinds-the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising, the left-falling (short and long) and the right-falling strokes. Any aspirant for the status of calligrapher must start by learning to write a good hand in kaishu.4) On the basis of lishu also evolved caoshu (grass writing or cursive hand), which is rapid and used for making quick but rough copies. This style is subdivided into two schools: zhangcao and jincao.The first of these emerged at the time the Qin was replaced by the Han Dynasty between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B. C. The characters, though written rapidly, still stand separate one from another and the dots are not linked up with other strokes.Jincao or the modern cursive hand is said to have been developed by Zhang Zhi (?-c. 192 A. D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Tang dynasties and is still widely popular today.It is the essence of the caoshu, especially jincao, that the characters are executed swiftly with the strokes running together. The characters are often joined up, with the last stroke of the first merging into the initial stroke of the next. They also vary in size in the same piece of writing, all seemingly dictated by the whims of the writer.A great master at caoshu was Zhang Xu (early 8th century) of the Tang Dynasty, noted for the complete abandon with which he applied the brush. It is said that he would not set about writing until he had got drunk. This he did, allowing the brush to "gallop" across the paper, curling, twisting ormeandering in one unbroken stroke, thus creating an original style. Today one may still see fragments of a stele carved with characters in his handwriting, kept in the Provincial Museum of Shaanxi.The best example and model for xingshu, all Chinese calligraphers will agree, is the Inscription on Lanting Pavilion in the hand of Wang Xizhi (321-379) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. To learn to write a nice hand in Chinese calligraphy, assiduous and persevering practice is necessary. This has been borne out by the many great masters China has produced. Wang Xizhi, the great artist just mentioned, who has exerted a profound influence on, and has been held in high esteem by, calligraphers and scholars throughout history, is said to have blackened in his childhood all the water of a pond in front of his house by washing the writing implements in it after his daily exercises. Another master, Monk Zhiyong of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) was so industrious in learning calligraphy that he filled many jars with worn-out writing brushes, which he buried in a "tomb of brushes".Renewed interest in brush-writing has been kindled today among the pupils in China, some of whom already show promises as worthy successors to the ancient masters.Four Treasures of the StudyTo produce Chinese characters one will need a brush, paper, inkstick and ink stone, commonly referred to as the "Four Treasures ofthe Study". To learn calligraphy, it is necessary to learn about thesetools.While brushes are varied, white-goat-hair, black-rabbit-hair and yellow-weasel-hair brushes are the main ones. On the basis of function, brushes are classified into three groups: hard, soft and both. Brush handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. The most famous ink stick ishui mo(Anhui ink stick), made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick, which must be balanced in the hand during the grinding or rubbing process. Press hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid-ink forms.Paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). While paper comes in many varieties, Xuan paper, produced in the Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (today's Anhui Province), is considered the best for Chinese calligraphy. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting. With a good tensile strength and mothproof quality, the paper can be preserved for a long time.Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,SheandTao. Features common to all three ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Although the stone is hard and fine, it is notdry or slippery. Using a hard, smooth stone, liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone.By controlling the flexibility of the brush, the concentration of the ink and the absorbency of the paper, the artist can produce an infinite variety of calligraphic styles and forms.Calligraphy: Leader of All Art FormsFew nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development.Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form.Calligraphy is also a practical fine art. Exotic calligraphic inscriptions written on paper, wooden plaques or stone tablets serve as decorations of a deep artistic value.Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. Closely associated with paintings -- the two leaders of Chinese art forms -- calligraphy takes precedence over painting since it greatly inspired the art of painting. Moreover, calligraphy has influenced other typically Chinese art forms like classical poetry, seal-cutting, sculpture, traditional music and dance, architecture and handicrafts.Calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and body. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise for physical and spiritual well-being. Historically, many calligraphic artists lived to a ripe, old age.An Art of the OrientChinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. Like chopsticks, calligraphy was once entirely Chinese, but as Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of the Oriental art.Calligraphy is even wildly accepted by the West; as once Picasso said, "Had I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter." Many calligraphic elements are being adopted by modern western art.。

介绍中国书法五种字体作文英语English: Chinese calligraphy has a long history and is considered one of the most revered art forms in China. There are five major styles of Chinese calligraphy, known as the "Five Fonts" (五种字体). They are Regular Script (楷书), Seal Script (篆书), Clerical Script (隶书), Running Script (草书), and Cursive Script (行书). Regular Script, also known as "Kaishu," is the most widely used style and is known for its clear and formal appearance. Seal Script, or "Zhuanshu," dates back to ancient times and is characterized by its intricate and rhythmic strokes. Clerical Script, or "Lishu," is known for its balanced and symmetrical layout, making it easy to read. Running Script, or "Caoshu," is a more fluid and dynamic style, with characters that appear to flow together. Cursive Script, or "Xingshu," is the most expressive and creative ofthe five styles, with characters that are heavily simplified and connected in a continuous manner. Each style has its own unique characteristics and history, making Chinese calligraphy a diverse and fascinating art form.中文翻译: 中国书法有着悠久的历史，被认为是中国最受尊崇的艺术形式之一。

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中国书法英语作文：Chinese Calligraphy 篇1Calligraphy is the essence of Chinese culture, which has developed into a special high-level art apart from satisfying the needs of daily writing. It has been flourishing for thousands of years in China. Shops with strong commercial atmosphere will gain some elegance if they are decorated with some quaint cultural calligraphic works. Sitting rooms, studies and bedrooms can be nice-looking with calligraphy works decorated. As a kind of art work, the writing of calligraphy is particular. The Chinese characters are written on Xuan paper which absorbs ink very well and then are mounted to hang on a wall. The calligraphy works are mostly a poem or a motto that the host of the room likes it much; if it is written by the host himself, it will demonstrate more his aspiration and interest as well as his talent.书法是中国文化的精粹，除了满足日常书写外，它已经上升成为一门特别的高等艺术。

Calligraphy欧阳歌谷（2021.02.01）Calligraphy is understood in China as the art of writing a good hand with the brush or the study of the rules and techniques of this art. As such it is peculiar to China and the few countries influenced by ancient Chinese culture.In the history of Chinese art, calligraphy has always been held in equalimportance to painting. Great attention is also paid today to itsdevelopment by holding exhibitions of ancient and contemporary worksand by organizing competitions among youngsters and people fromvarious walks of life. Sharing of experience in this field often makes afeature in Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with the hieroglyphs and, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture.ClassificationChinese scripts are generally divided into five categories:The seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regularscript (kai), the running hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao).1) The zhuan script or seal character was the earliest form of writing afterthe oracle inscriptions, which must have caused great inconveniencebecause they lacked uniformity and many characters were written invariant forms. The first effort for the unification of writing, it is said, tookplace during the reign of King Xuan (827-782 B. C.) of the Western ZhouDynasty, when his taishi (grand historian) Shi Zhou compiled a lexicon of15 chapters, standardizing Chinese writing under script called zhuan. It isalso known as zhouwen after the name of the author. This script, oftenused in seals, is translated into English as the seal character, or as the"curly script" after the shape of its strokes.Shi Zhou's lexicon (which some thought was written by a later author of the state of Qin) had long been lost, yet it is generally agreed that the inscriptions on the drum-shaped Qin stone blocks were basically of the same style as the old zhuan script.When, in 221 B. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the whole of China under one central government, he ordered his Prime Minister Li Si to collect and sort out all the different systems ofwriting hitherto prevalent in different parts of the country in a great effort to unify the written language under one system. What Li did, in effect, was to simplify the ancient zhuan (small seal) script.Today we have a most valuable relic of this ancient writing in the creator Li Si's own hand engraved on a stele standing in the Temple to the God of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. The 2,200-year-old stele, worn by age and weather, has only nine and a half characters left on it.2) The lishu (official script) came in the wake of the xiaozhuan in the same short-lived Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B. C.). This was because the xiaozhuan, though a simplified form of script, was still too complicated for the scribes in the various government offices who had to copy an increasing amount of documents. Cheng Miao, a prison warden, made a further simplification of the xiaozhuan, changing the curly strokes into straight and angular ones and thus making writing much easier. A further step away from the pictographs, it was named lishu because li in classical Chinese meant "clerk" or "scribe". Another version says that Cheng Miao, because of certain offence, became a prisoner and slave himself; as the ancients also called bound slaves "li", so the script was named lishu or the "script of a slave".3) The lishu was already very close to, and led to the adoption of, kaishu, regular script. The oldest existing example of this dates from the Wei (220-265), and the script developed under the Jin (265-420). The standard writing today is square in form, non-cursive and architectural in style. The characters are composed of a number of strokes out of a total of eight kinds-the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising, the left-falling (short and long) and the right-falling strokes. Any aspirant for the status of calligrapher must start by learning to write a good hand in kaishu.4) On the basis of lishu also evolved caoshu (grass writing or cursive hand), which is rapid and used for making quick but rough copies. This style is subdivided into two schools: zhangcao and jincao.The first of these emerged at the time the Qin was replaced by the Han Dynasty between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B. C. The characters, though written rapidly, still stand separate one from another and the dots are not linked up with other strokes.Jincao or the modern cursive hand is said to have been developed by Zhang Zhi (?-c. 192 A. D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Tang dynasties and is still widely popular today.It is the essence of the caoshu, especially jincao, that the characters are executed swiftly with the strokes running together. The characters are often joined up, with the last stroke of the first merging into the initial stroke of the next. They also vary in size in the same piece of writing, all seemingly dictated by the whims of the writer.A great master at caoshu was Zhang Xu (early 8th century) of the Tang Dynasty, noted for the complete abandon with which he applied the brush. It is said that he would not set about writing until he had got drunk. This he did, allowing the brush to "gallop" across the paper, curling, twisting or meandering in one unbroken stroke, thus creating an original style. Today one may still see fragmentsof a stele carved with characters in his handwriting, kept in the Provincial Museum of Shaanxi.The best example and model for xingshu, all Chinese calligraphers will agree, is the Inscription on Lanting Pavilion in the hand of Wang Xizhi (321-379) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. To learn to write a nice hand in Chinese calligraphy, assiduous and persevering practice is necessary. This has been borne out by the many great masters China has produced. Wang Xizhi, the great artist just mentioned, who has exerted a profound influence on, and has been held in high esteem by, calligraphers and scholars throughout history, is said to have blackened in his childhood all the water of a pond in front of his house by washing the writing implements in it after his daily exercises. Another master, Monk Zhiyong of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) was so industrious in learning calligraphy that he filled many jars with worn-out writing brushes, which he buried in a "tomb of brushes".Renewed interest in brush-writing has been kindled today among the pupils in China, some of whom already show promises as worthy successors to the ancient masters.Four Treasures of the StudyTo produce Chinese characters one will need a brush, paper, inkstick and ink stone, commonly referred to as the "Four Treasures ofthe Study". To learn calligraphy, it is necessary to learn about thesetools.While brushes are varied, white-goat-hair, black-rabbit-hair and yellow-weasel-hair brushes are the main ones. On the basis of function, brushes are classified into three groups: hard, soft and both. Brush handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. The most famous ink stick ishui mo(Anhui ink stick), made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick, which must be balanced in the hand during the grinding or rubbing process. Press hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid-ink forms.Paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). While paper comes in many varieties, Xuan paper, produced in the Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (today's Anhui Province), is considered the best for Chinese calligraphy. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting. With a good tensile strength and mothproof quality, the paper can be preserved for a long time.Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,SheandTao. Features common to all three ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Although the stone is hard and fine, it is not dry or slippery. Using a hard, smooth stone, liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbingthe ink stick against the stone.By controlling the flexibility of the brush, the concentration of the ink and the absorbency of the paper, the artist can produce an infinite variety of calligraphic styles and forms.Calligraphy: Leader of All Art FormsFew nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development.Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form.Calligraphy is also a practical fine art. Exotic calligraphic inscriptions written on paper, wooden plaques or stone tablets serve as decorations of a deep artistic value.Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. Closely associated with paintings -- the two leaders of Chinese art forms -- calligraphy takes precedence over painting since it greatly inspired the art of painting. Moreover, calligraphy has influenced other typically Chinese art forms like classical poetry, seal-cutting, sculpture, traditional music and dance, architecture and handicrafts.Calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and body. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise for physical and spiritual well-being. Historically, many calligraphic artists lived to a ripe, old age.An Art of the OrientChinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. Like chopsticks, calligraphy was once entirely Chinese, but as Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of the Oriental art.Calligraphy is even wildly accepted by the West; as once Picasso said, "Had I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter." Many calligraphic elements are being adopted by modern western art.。

Calligraphy时间：2021.02.05 创作：欧阳科Calligraphy is understood in China as the art of writing a good hand with the brush or the study of the rules and techniques of this art. As such it is peculiar to China and the few countries influenced by ancient Chinese culture.In the history of Chinese art, calligraphy has always been held in equalimportance to painting. Great attention is also paid today to itsdevelopment by holding exhibitions of ancient and contemporary worksand by organizing competitions among youngsters and people fromvarious walks of life. Sharing of experience in this field often makes afeature in Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.Chinese calligraphy, like the script itself, began with the hieroglyphs and, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture.ClassificationChinese scripts are generally divided into five categories:The seal character (zhuan), the official or clerical script (li), the regularscript (kai), the running hand (xing) and the cursive hand (cao).1) The zhuan script or seal character was the earliest form of writing afterthe oracle inscriptions, which must have caused great inconveniencebecause they lacked uniformity and many characters were written invariant forms. The first effort for the unification of writing, it is said, tookplace during the reign of King Xuan (827-782 B. C.) of the Western ZhouDynasty, when his taishi (grand historian) Shi Zhou compiled a lexicon of15 chapters, standardizing Chinese writing under script called zhuan. It isalso known as zhouwen after the name of the author. This script, oftenused in seals, is translated into English as the seal character, or as the"curly script" after the shape of its strokes.Shi Zhou's lexicon (which some thought was written by a later author of the state of Qin) had long been lost, yet it is generally agreed that the inscriptions on the drum-shaped Qin stone blocks were basically of the same style as the old zhuan script.When, in 221 B. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the whole of China under one central government, he ordered his Prime Minister Li Si to collect and sort out all the different systems of writing hitherto prevalent in different parts of the country in a great effort to unify the written language under one system. What Li did, in effect, was to simplify the ancient zhuan (small seal) script.Today we have a most valuable relic of this ancient writing in the creator Li Si's own hand engraved on a stele standing in the Temple to the God of Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province. The 2,200-year-old stele, worn by age and weather, has only nine and a half characters left on it.2) The lishu (official script) came in the wake of the xiaozhuan in the same short-lived Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 B. C.). This was because the xiaozhuan, though a simplified form of script, was still too complicated for the scribes in the various government offices who had to copy an increasing amount of documents. Cheng Miao, a prison warden, made a further simplification of the xiaozhuan, changing the curly strokes into straight and angular ones and thus making writing much easier. A further step away from the pictographs, it was named lishu because li in classical Chinese meant "clerk" or "scribe". Another version says that Cheng Miao, because of certain offence, became a prisoner and slave himself; as the ancients also called bound slaves "li", so the script was named lishu or the "script of a slave".3) The lishu was already very close to, and led to the adoption of, kaishu, regular script. The oldest existing example of this dates from the Wei (220-265), and the script developed under the Jin (265-420). The standard writing today is square in form, non-cursive and architectural in style. The characters are composed of a number of strokes out of a total of eight kinds-the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising, the left-falling (short and long) and the right-falling strokes. Any aspirant for the status of calligrapher must start by learning to write a good hand in kaishu.4) On the basis of lishu also evolved caoshu (grass writing or cursive hand), which is rapid and used for making quick but rough copies. This style is subdivided into two schools: zhangcao and jincao.The first of these emerged at the time the Qin was replaced by the Han Dynasty between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B. C. The characters, though written rapidly, still stand separate one from another and the dots are not linked up with other strokes.Jincao or the modern cursive hand is said to have been developed by Zhang Zhi (?-c. 192 A. D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Jin and Tang dynasties and is still widely popular today.It is the essence of the caoshu, especially jincao, that the characters are executed swiftly with the strokes running together. The characters are often joined up, with the last stroke of the first merging into the initial stroke of the next. They also vary in size in the same piece of writing, all seemingly dictated by the whims of the writer.A great master at caoshu was Zhang Xu (early 8th century) of the Tang Dynasty, noted for the complete abandon with which he applied the brush. It is said that he would not set about writing until he had got drunk. This he did, allowing the brush to "gallop" across the paper, curling, twisting or meandering in one unbroken stroke, thus creating an original style. Today one may still see fragments of a stele carved with characters in his handwriting, kept in the Provincial Museum of Shaanxi.The best example and model for xingshu, all Chinese calligraphers will agree, is the Inscription on Lanting Pavilion in the hand of Wang Xizhi (321-379) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. To learn to write a nice hand in Chinese calligraphy, assiduous and persevering practice is necessary. This has been borne out by the many great masters China has produced. Wang Xizhi, the great artist just mentioned, who has exerted a profound influence on, and has been held in high esteem by, calligraphers and scholars throughout history, is said to have blackened in his childhood all the water of a pond in front of his house by washing the writing implements in it after his daily exercises. Another master, Monk Zhiyong of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) was so industrious in learning calligraphy that he filled many jars with worn-out writing brushes, which he buried in a "tomb of brushes".Renewed interest in brush-writing has been kindled today among the pupils in China, some of whom already show promises as worthy successors to the ancient masters.Four Treasures of the StudyTo produce Chinese characters one will need a brush, paper, inkstick and ink stone, commonly referred to as the "Four Treasures ofthe Study". To learn calligraphy, it is necessary to learn about thesetools.While brushes are varied, white-goat-hair, black-rabbit-hair and yellow-weasel-hair brushes are the main ones. On the basis of function, brushes are classified into three groups: hard, soft and both. Brush handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. The most famous ink stick ishui mo(Anhui ink stick), made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick, which must be balanced in the hand during the grinding or rubbing process. Press hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid-ink forms.Paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). While paper comes in many varieties, Xuan paper, produced in the Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (today's Anhui Province), is considered the best for Chinese calligraphy. The paper is soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting. With a good tensile strength and mothproof quality, the paper can be preserved for a long time.Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,SheandTao. Features common to all three ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Although the stone is hard and fine, it is not dry or slippery. Using a hard, smooth stone, liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone.By controlling the flexibility of the brush, the concentration of the ink and the absorbency of the paper, the artist can produce an infinite variety of calligraphic styles and forms.Calligraphy: Leader of All Art FormsFew nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development.Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form.Calligraphy is also a practical fine art. Exotic calligraphic inscriptions written on paper, wooden plaques or stone tablets serve as decorations of a deep artistic value.Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts. Closely associated with paintings -- the two leaders of Chinese art forms -- calligraphy takes precedence over painting since it greatly inspired the art of painting. Moreover, calligraphy has influenced other typically Chinese art forms like classical poetry, seal-cutting, sculpture, traditional music and dance, architecture and handicrafts.Calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and body. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise for physical and spiritual well-being. Historically, many calligraphic artists lived to a ripe, old age.An Art of the OrientChinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. Like chopsticks, calligraphy was once entirely Chinese, but as Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of the Oriental art.Calligraphy is even wildly accepted by the West; as once Picasso said, "Had I been born Chinese, I would have been a calligrapher, not a painter." Many calligraphic elements are being adopted by modern western art.。