Ouyang Xun's Regular Script 3, Collection of Sentences and Couplets from "Liquan Ming" in the Jiucheng Palace

Author: Tian Dengyue (Editor-in-Chief) / Sun Yunhong (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: A practical and fast-paced calligraphy workbook, meticulously refined and arranged based on the structural principles, writing methods, and practical requirements of Chinese characters. This workbook features the "Hui Zi Si Jiao Duozhe Ge" (Square Grid with Four Corners Folded in Half). This grid design was developed by summarizing and analyzing existing grids such as the square grid, Tianzi grid, Jiugong grid, Milizi grid, and Hui Gong grid, while also referencing traditional Chinese methods for folding paper when writing couplets or horizontal scrolls. After rigorous theoretical research and practical application, it was introduced to the public. The "Hui Zi Si Jiao Duozhe Ge" is highly convenient to create and use—simply fold the paper into an outer square grid and an inner square grid, resembling the character "Hui," then diagonally fold the grid to form an X shape in the center. This practice grid combines the strengths of various writing grids while avoiding their weaknesses. It eliminates the need for rulers, allows for adjustable sizes, facilitates stroke arrangement, and promotes easy structuring and layout. It enables learners to quickly grasp the structural principles and writing methods of Chinese characters, making it a highly practical approach to calligraphy. The content of this workbook is curated from the representative works of influential calligraphers throughout Chinese history, selecting characters and compiling sentences and couplets based on practical needs. Its primary purpose is to enhance learners' interest in copying classic calligraphy works and guide them to quickly master practical calligraphy skills. By combining learning with application, it helps learners achieve twice the result with half the effort. This workbook integrates brush techniques, structure, layout, and practicality, combining theoretical guidance with creative practice, serving as a shortcut for learners to enter the realm of calligraphy art.
Ouyang Xun (557–641 AD), styled Xinyen, was a native of Linxiang, Tanzhou (now Changsha, Hunan). Ouyang Xun was short in stature and unremarkable in appearance, yet possessed extraordinary wisdom and profound knowledge of Confucian classics and history. He dedicated himself to calligraphy with unwavering focus. Once, while passing by the stele of Su Jing from the Jin Dynasty, he was so captivated by its mysteries that he lingered for three days, deeply admiring its intricacies.
As early as the Sui Dynasty, his calligraphy was already renowned. His letters were regarded as models for others to follow, and he once served as a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. During the Tang Dynasty, he rose to the position of Silver and Green Light-Bearer, Director of the Prince’s Bodyguard, and Scholar of the Hongwen Academy, and was enfeoffed as a male of Bohai County. He was one of the Four Great Calligraphers of Early Tang, alongside Yu Shinnan, Chu Suiliang, and Xue Ji.
Ouyang Xun’s calligraphy was rooted in the styles of the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi) and inherited the traditions of Northern Wei stele calligraphy. He skillfully absorbed the essence of various schools, excelled in learning and innovation, and created a unique style known as the "Ouyang Style." His calligraphy was praised by Tang Dynasty scholar Zhang Huaijing as "proficient in all eight calligraphic styles, with powerful, sharp, and flying white brushwork that surpassed the ancients. His calligraphy resembles the fierce battle of dragons and snakes, the dense and ethereal flow of clouds and mist, as if weapons from a military arsenal."
Ouyang Xun’s regular script is characterized by precise brushwork, square and smooth strokes, robust and balanced structures, meticulous attention to detail, and a harmonious balance of thickness and thinness. His calligraphy is bold, sharp, and dynamic, highly regarded by calligraphers throughout history and often used as a model. His influence on later generations was profound.
In Ouyang Xun’s calligraphy, square brushwork is predominant, with occasional use of round brushwork. The brush starts with a hidden tip (), moves with strength and subtlety (), and often ends with a returning tip (). His strokes emphasize mutual correspondence and the variation of strokes with the same flow of energy. Horizontal and vertical strokes are executed with square brushwork, creating a solid and orderly structure. Slanting and hook strokes occasionally use round brushwork, adding flexibility and liveliness. Hook strokes are modeled after clerical script, with full and stable forms. Turnings are often square with a slight roundness, combining sharpness with depth.
The structure of Ouyang Xun’s calligraphy is stable and strict, displaying both balance and dynamism. The more dynamic the character, the more stable it appears. Although the shapes of his characters vary in length, size, and slant, and his strokes are dynamic and varied, they still convey a sense of stability.