Mi Fu's "Shu Su Tie" Running Script Large Character Spectrum

Author: Lu Youzhu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This book has the following characteristics in its editing: First, it is highly practical and meets the needs of beginners in calligraphy, offering easy-to-use features. The authors of this calligraphy character manual are all teachers with long-term experience in calligraphy teaching. They are not only diligent calligraphers with successful creations but, more importantly, they possess rich experience in teaching calligraphy. They start from the practical aspects of calligraphy teaching, draw on various strengths, and provide targeted analysis and explanations that align with students' learning needs. This approach ensures precision and addresses specific issues, effectively solving problems. Their analysis is concise, straightforward, and easy to understand. They guide you on where the difficulties lie in learning calligraphy, what aspects are easily overlooked, and how to overcome challenges and improve weaknesses. This focused approach will inspire and benefit beginners in calligraphy. Second, the book is carefully arranged in a progressive and accessible manner, emphasizing simplicity and clarity, making it easy to learn and teach. For example, in the character manual of the "Qinli Stele," the stroke techniques are taught starting with horizontal strokes, followed by vertical strokes. A horizontal and a vertical stroke together form the character "" (ten). Next, diagonal strokes are introduced, and adding a long diagonal stroke creates characters like "" (at) or "" (left). The character "" (piece) is formed by combining the basic horizontal and vertical strokes with a diagonal stroke. This step-by-step approach is logical and interconnected. In practical learning, it progresses from simple to complex, making it particularly suitable for beginners in calligraphy—even young children in kindergarten would enjoy this gradual teaching method. The same principle is applied to the arrangement of other character manuals. Third, the editing of this book combines vertical and horizontal elements organically, making the content more comprehensive. Most character manuals follow a single-line structure, focusing only on vertical arrangements, starting with stroke techniques, then moving to component structures, and finally discussing overall composition. However, in calligraphy teaching practice, we have found that many excellent calligraphy teachers combine stroke techniques and structure. For instance, when teaching a basic stroke, they demonstrate its position in a character, its length, thickness, and whether it should be straight or curved. This integrates vertical and horizontal elements, giving beginners a structural understanding even when they first encounter strokes. Since Chinese characters are an organic whole, stroke techniques and structure are closely related. In teaching, we often separate them for convenience, but in reality, they are inseparable, especially in cursive and semi-cursive scripts. For example, Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy exemplifies this point. This integrated approach ensures a more holistic learning experience.
This series of "Calligraphy Character Manuals" also has another feature: it analyzes and explains the typical characters from a single work by an ancient calligrapher. It includes both detailed stroke-by-stroke breakdowns and an overall grasp of components, structure, and composition. The original calligraphy is enlarged and printed in relief for easy observation and appreciation. Each volume focuses on one work by a calligrapher, and when combined, the series forms a magnificent collection. It covers five major calligraphy styles—seal script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script, and semi-cursive script—creating a perfect combination. Readers can purchase the entire series to grasp the big picture, avoiding repetition and waste from buying individual volumes. Alternatively, they can buy specific volumes as needed, using them independently for convenience across different learning levels. We also hope to gain the understanding and support of teachers, parents, and all calligraphy enthusiasts.