Introductory Textbook for Learning Famous Calligraphers' Scripts - Yan Zhenqing's "Multi-Buddha Stele"

Author: Wenming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: The former master had three magical tools for teaching calligraphy: for teaching basic characters, there was the "Hundred Family Surnames"; for teaching poetry, there was the "Three Hundred Poems"; and for teaching calligraphy, the "Jiu Cheng Gong," "Duo Bao Ta," "Yan Qin Li Bei," "Xuan Mi Ta Bei," and "Shen Ce Jun Bei" were commonly used. Young learners, exposed to these, benefited greatly. Calligraphers generally start with regular script (kaishu), and the three masters of regular script—Yan, Liu, and Ou—were considered the treasures. Each had its own style, but the Ou style, being comprehensive and balanced, was the first choice for teachers. Yan followed, and then Liu.
The "Liquan Ming" of the "Jiu Cheng Gong" has a rigorous structure and strong, upright bones. Du Fu once said, "Only when calligraphy is lean and firm can it reach the divine." Appreciating the subtlety of lifting and dropping the brush in Ou's "Jiu Cheng Gong" reveals a harmonious and natural charm. Next, there are the selections of Yan's strength and Liu's bones. Yan's style is thick and powerful, with great force and momentum, upright yet not constrained, solemn yet not rigid. Its strokes are known for being grand, vigorous, and elegant. Huang Ting looked back at Ou, Yu, Chu, and Xue, all constrained by rules, and said, "How could Master Lu Gong calmly stand outside the strong ink?" His brushwork is clear and easy to observe, learn, and master.
Liu's early brushwork was more angular, with more influence from clerical script. In the middle stage, his brushwork shifted from angular to round, with lighter horizontal strokes and heavier vertical ones, resembling the "silkworm head" and "swallow tail." His late brushwork became thicker in both horizontal and vertical strokes. His structure is upright, simple, and powerful. Liu's style was widely quoted for its advice: "The brush follows the heart; if the heart is upright, the brush will be upright."
When learning Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, one also follows Yan's style, hence the saying, "Yan's strength, Liu's bones." The "Hai Yue Shu Ping" described him as "a hermit in the deep mountains, his cultivation complete, with a clear and healthy spirit, free of any worldly dust." Dong Qichang praised Liu's calligraphy, saying, "Only by learning Liu Chengxuan can one understand the ancient and (dàn) brushwork; from now on, one cannot abandon Liu's method to pursue Wang Xizhi."
Liu's brushwork is upright and strong, with a centered structure that contracts inward while extending outward in all directions, embodying a style that uses angularity to gain momentum and infuses the bones with strength.
The compiler of this book felt that many young calligraphy enthusiasts, after years of practice, struggled to find the right method, leading to wasted effort and poor results. Therefore, they carefully studied and compiled this introductory textbook on calligraphy by famous masters. The book not only analyzes the Yan, Liu, and Ou styles but also integrates them well, making it useful for beginners to apply and progress steadily, laying a solid foundation for mastering calligraphy.