Zhong Yao's Small Regular Script

Author: Compiled by the Press
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Publish Date: 2000-12-01
Features: In learning calligraphy, one must aim for high standards. I remember in 1964, Qian Souchi sent me a pair of couplets: [Lishu of Qin and Han, Regular Script of Jin and Tang]. This means that when writing large regular script, one should learn from the Tang Dynasty, and when writing small regular script, one should learn from the Wei and Jin periods. At the time, I didn’t understand it, but now I think there is indeed some truth to it. Calligraphers of the Wei and Jin periods were all renowned for their small regular script. Yuan Dynasty’s Yuan Pao’s General Discussion on Calligraphers stated: [Since the Han and Wei periods, calligraphy may vary, but generally, they all retain the influence of cursive and clerical scripts, hence their noble and ancient quality]. At that time, it was the period when clerical and regular scripts were transitioning, and being close to antiquity, a fresh and rustic charm with an ancient essence naturally emerged. Among the calligraphers of the Wei and Jin periods, Zhong Yao, known as the "forefather of regular script," was particularly distinctive.
Zhong Yao (150–230 AD), styled Yuanchang, was from Changshe, Yingchuan (now Xuchang, Henan). During the Wei Dynasty, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dingling and held the title of Grand Tutor. Thus, he was also known as [Zhong Taifu]. In his early years, he studied under Cao Xi, who excelled in cursive and clerical scripts, Liu Desheng, who was skilled in running script, and Cai Yong, who was adept at eight-part clerical script. He integrated these diverse styles to form his own unique style. It is said that he was extremely dedicated to calligraphy. He once claimed: [I have devoted thirty years to deep thought and practice in calligraphy. When conversing with others, I would use my finger to write on the edge of the seat a few steps away. When lying down, I would write on my bedding, leaving holes in it]. This shows his unwavering determination. Once, while visiting a renowned calligrapher named Wei Dian, he saw a secret of Cai Yong’s brush technique and desperately sought it but failed. He became so anxious that he beat his chest and coughed up blood. Cao Cao then saved him with Wuling pills. After Wei Dian’s death, Zhong Yao was unwilling to give up and secretly dug up his tomb to finally obtain the secret, after which his calligraphy greatly improved.
Zhong Yao was skilled in clerical, regular, running, and cursive scripts, but his main achievements lay in small regular script. His small regular script featured slightly flattened characters, dense spacing, thick strokes, clear and vigorous brushwork, and a mellow, ancient, simple, and tranquil charm, full of a natural and rustic aesthetic. Tang Dynasty’s Zhang Huaiquan’s Book Judgments praised his script as follows: [Yuanchang’s regular script is unparalleled in the world, combining both gentleness and strength. Between the strokes, there is much unique charm. It can be described as profound and boundless, with an excess of ancient elegance. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, no one else has come close]. The so-called [unique charm] refers to the dynamic brushwork and slightly mixed clerical script influences in his regular script’s strokes, giving it an ancient and elegant flavor, like the bronze inscriptions of the Three Dynasties, exuding a profound and mellow aura that commands respect. Due to the passage of time, very few of Zhong Yao’s works have survived. Famous ones include The Announcement of, The Return of, The Season of, The Power of, The Tomb, and The Celebration of. The Xuanhe Manual of Calligraphy praised The Celebration of as [fully embodying the rules, being the ancestor of true script]. As for The Season of, it was described as [noble, ancient, pure, and simple, transcending the divine (Yuan Tai’s evaluation)], far from the later generation’s delicate and refined style (Jie Jin’s evaluation). This is one of his representative works.
Zhong Yao’s small regular script had a profound influence on later generations, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as Wang Yayi, Zhu Yunming, Fu Shan, Wang Dong, Huang Daozhou, and Xu Wei, who all drew inspiration from Zhong Yao. Unfortunately, none of his ink traces have been passed down to this day. Today, we can only study them from these engraved copies. In the past century, with the discovery of a large number of Han and Wei bamboo slips, silk texts, fragmented characters, and handwritten Buddhist scriptures, we have been provided with extremely precious materials. We can explore the brush techniques of Zhong Yao’s regular script from these ink traces. The renowned modern scholar Luo Zhenyu, through extensive research on the sand-buried bamboo slips, the authenticity of Zhong Yao’s regular script. He said: [After the Wei and Jin periods, regular script techniques were also well-developed. In the past, people doubted that Zhong Taifu’s scrolls were lost or forged. However, with this scroll as evidence, it is clear that this is not the case.]