The Eight Principles of the Yong Character -- Lectures on Calligraphy Art: Lectures on Calligraphy Art

Author: Zhou Ruchang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Confucius said: "Reviewing the old enables one to learn the new." But if one does not even know the old, where does the new come from? The art of calligraphy follows the same principle. Chinese character calligraphy has a long history, with masters emerging over thousands of years. The profound truths and principles they discovered must not be abandoned—this is the "old." Only by understanding these principles can one speak of learning and innovation. For example, the "Eight Methods of the Yong Character" (bi, le, nu, ti, ce, lüe, zhuo, zhe) are indeed the basic strokes in Chinese calligraphy. While they cannot fully encompass all strokes, they are quite representative. This book takes this as its starting point to explore Chinese calligraphy. Mr. Zhou Ruchang once said he had devoted more effort to the study of "calligraphy" than to the study of the Red Chamber. This book begins with answers to questions for beginners and progresses to brushes, strokes, and the theory of calligraphy, interspersed with anecdotes of famous calligraphers. These are presented as lecture notes, which in fact summarize Mr. Zhou's lifelong dedication to calligraphy. The book is divided into three parts: the upper part, "Qiwèn" (Answers to Questions), explains the fundamental essence, knowledge, and significance of Chinese calligraphy in a simple and concise Q&A format, also touching on model texts and various stroke techniques. The target audience is young calligraphy enthusiasts and learners. The middle part, "Fenlun" (Specific Discussions), is a detailed analysis of calligraphy works, tracing the origins and correcting certain past misconceptions about Chinese character calligraphy from a theoretical perspective. The lower part, "Zonglun" (Comprehensive Discussions), consists of individual essays that are interconnected, offering innovative insights and concise key points, providing advanced calligraphy scholars with new research topics and revelations. The book is richly illustrated, combining rigorous exploration with liveliness.