See how the ancient calligraphy heroes held pens?
"There is no definite method for writing", Zhou Xinglian of the Qing Dynasty said that this phrase came from Ouyang Xiu, and Kang Youwei said that it was from Su Shi. Su Shi's "Treatise on the Book" says that "there is no definite method for writing, and it is necessary to make it virtual and wide." It is not the first person to say, but what matters is that this sentence tells the true meaning of the writing.
The writing is not complicated and esoteric, and it is similar to the use of chopsticks. Chopsticks are used to bring food into the mouth, and pens are used to facilitate writing. A table of people eating together, the method of "holding chopsticks" is not the same, but they are all neatly clamped. We believe that writing is indeed "infallible".
Qian Zhenyi (1875-1944), who is known as the "Great Confucian of Jiangnan" among the scholars of the Republic of China, said in the "Treatise on famous mountains", "The ancients only sought their convenience when they wrote, and the present people only sought their difficulties when they wrote, and I cannot but hurt the stupidity of today's people", I cannot but admire the loftiness of his insight.
Today, we will take a look at how the ancient calligraphy heroes held the pen, let us travel through the millennium to see the "calligraphy education video" at that time.
The world's earliest writing images were found in prehistoric ancient Egypt, and the writing method is the two-finger single hook method, which is highly consistent with the mainstream writing methods in the five dynasties of the Jin and Tang dynasties in China;
Before the Han Dynasty in China, because no image materials about the writing were found for the time being, it was temporarily vacant;
The writing images of the Eastern Han Dynasty show that the pipe holding (fist) style of writing was popular, especially the writing method of "诰勅牓疏" using this method of writing, and other methods of writing existed;
The main popular method from the Jin, Tang and Tang dynasties to the fifth dynasty was the two-finger single hook (bud) method, supplemented by the three-finger single hook and the three-finger double hook method;
In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the two-finger single hook and the three-finger double hook penmanship method intersected and paralleled, which were two mainstream writing methods;
Although the Ming Dynasty still adopted the single-hook method of writing, the status of subjectivity has been replaced by the three-finger double-hook method of writing;
In the Qing Dynasty, there was a situation in which single hook, double hook, four-finger, five-finger penmanship and other penmanship methods coexisted, which was a pluralistic period of writing;
The writing of the Republic of China is mainly based on the three-finger double hook and four-finger double hook method;
After 1950, the five-finger pen method gradually became the mainstream writing method in the Chinese mainland, but in recent years, the three-finger single hook method has gradually been used.
First, the writing of the Eastern Han Dynasty
Most of the writing images in the Eastern Han Dynasty were the French style of holding the pipe, and the holding method was the method of holding the pipe in the open style, and there must also be the existence of the two-finger single hook method, and the two-finger or three-finger single hook penmanship method can be regarded as the general penmanship method of the literati and the folk.
【Eastern Han Dynasty】 Cangjie (partial) Portrait Stone Linyi Museum, Shandong
In the picture, Cangjie holds the pen with his left hand, the big finger obliquely sticks the pen holder, and the four fingers hold the pen, which is the holding pipe style. The front of the pen shaft is thick and the tail tip is thin.
【Late Tang Dynasty】 "Fa Tu" (partial) Dunhuang murals Collected by the British Museum
The bodhisattvas and disciples in the picture are partly written with the pipe grip method, which may be seen as a relic of the popular pipe holding method in the Han Dynasty.
Second, the writing of the Jin Dynasty
The commonly popular method of writing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty should be the method of two fingers and single hook. Therefore, the method of writing by Shusheng Wang Xizhi is also very likely to be a two-finger single hook method.
【Western Jin Dynasty】 Sculpture of "Pairs of Book Figurines" In the second year of Yongning (302), hunan provincial museum collection
The penmanship method of this statue is the pipe-holding method, which can be seen as a continuation of the mainstream penmanship method of the Han Dynasty.
【Eastern Jin Dynasty】 Gu Kaizhi 'Female History Proverbs》 (Partial) British Museum Collection
In this figure, the pen is written, and the big finger and index finger are obvious, but it is difficult to determine if the middle finger does not pick the pen holder. For example, it is inferred from the writing method in the "Harp Diagram" composed by the same author that the middle finger should not pick the pen holder, which can be judged as a two-finger single hook pen method.
【Eastern Jin Dynasty】 Part 2 of Gu Kaizhi's "Axe Qin Tu" (Yan Yuanji Linben).
The writing of Gu Kaizhi's "Axe Diagram" is clearly shown as the writing method of the two-finger single hook. The pen he holds has the possibility of a bamboo pen. However, it is very likely that the brush and bamboo pens will be the same.
3. Writing by the Southern and Northern Dynasties
The limited brush stroke images in the figure paintings of this period show that the pen holding method of the Southern and Northern Dynasties was unified into a single hook style. If you reason with the writing method that appeared in the former Jin Dynasty and the later Tang Dynasty, there must also be a two-finger single hook writing method at the same time. It should be noted that most of the limited images of the pen in this period are easy to confuse the distinction between the two fingers, the third finger and the four fingers, which not only needs to be discussed in depth, but also looks forward to the discovery of new image data as evidence.
[Northern Qi] Yang Zihua "School Book Map" (Part 2) Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
In the figure, the author's thumb and index finger should be undoubted, whether the middle finger is involved is difficult to determine, and the two fingers and three fingers are possible.
Fourth, the writing of the Tang Dynasty
The method of writing in this period is roughly the same as that of the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the method of writing is mainly the method of single hook, while the two-finger single hook is the main one, supplemented by the three-finger single hook. In addition, there are also methods of holding pipes, top shooting methods and other writing methods. It should be noted that these images are almost all calligraphic (written) and no painting-like penmanship images have been found.
【Tang】 "Sending The Son of the Heavenly King" (partial) Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Japan
This work may be designated as a facsimile of the Song dynasty and listed as a Song painting. However, as an image of the pen, it should be used as a phenomenon of the Tang Dynasty.
This is a calligraphy image. Figure Chinese the official thumb and index finger pen, the middle finger, ring finger and little finger resist each other, and the index finger does not pick the pen holder, which is a typical two-finger single hook (single bud) style penmanship.
【Tang】 Han Di "Wenyuan Tu" (partial) Collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing
This work may be written by the fifth generation of Zhou Wenji.
In the picture, the author is thinking about the book, the thumb and index finger can be determined, but the middle finger is difficult to confirm if it reaches the pen shaft, so the two-finger single hook and the three-finger single hook are possible.
【Japan】 "The Method of Writing taught by master Hongfa" was collected in 1996 in the Japanese magazine "Ink"
Five or five generations of writing
The Five Dynasties period inherited the tradition of writing in the Tang Dynasty, and the method of writing seems to be based on the two-finger single hook method, supplemented by the three-finger single hook. Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty wrote a text on calligraphy in the "Shushu", and for the first time proposed the "seven-character method" of pressing, hooking, exposing, resisting, rejecting, guiding, and sending, and was associated with "stirrups". The author believes that this view can be regarded as the theoretical basis for the five-finger pen, but this does not mean that it is the theory of the five-finger pen advocated in modern times.
Five Generations Later Shu Qiu Wenbo "Wenhui Tu" Collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
There are four pen images in the figure, all of which are single-hooked pens, but it is difficult to determine whether they are all three-finger single hooks
6. Writing in the Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty can be said to be a major turning point in the way of writing. From the considerable number of writing images of the Song Dynasty (Figure 13.1–13.20), it can be seen that while the Song Dynasty inherited the mainstream writing method of the Tang and five dynasties, the one-one single-hook method (two fingers and three fingers), the double-hook pen method gradually appeared, and finally presented a situation in which the two-finger, three-finger single hook and three-finger double-hook writing method were parallel.
The most famous of the Song Dynasty's writing theories is Su Shi's (Dongpo) famous saying, "The pen is immutable, and it is necessary to make it empty and wide." ”
How Huang Tingjian himself wrote, he said in the "Treatise", "The method of using the pen, if you want to double the hook back to the wrist, the palm is false and the finger is real, and the ring finger is leaning on the pen, then it is powerful." ”
【Song】 Lu Xinzhong One of the Ten Kings (Partial)
This is a typical two-finger single-hook method.
Song Anon. Eighteen Bachelors Figure (Partial)
In the picture, the author's thumb, index finger and middle finger hold the pen, and the ring finger and little finger bend the pen holder, which is a typical three-finger double hook method.
In this figure, the author has a single hook on the index finger, and the middle finger bends with the ring finger and the little finger without picking the pen shaft, which is a typical two-finger single hook method.
7. Writing in the Yuan Dynasty
Just as the Yuan Dynasty occupies a historical position between the Song and the Ming, the Yuan Dynasty also belongs to the transition period between the two-finger single hook of the former dynasty over the three-finger double hook and the descendant three-finger double hook is better than the two-finger single hook method, and there is a new situation in which the two-finger single hook and the three-finger double hook alternately parallel.
【Yuan】 Anon. (formerly known as Lu Zhongxin) One of the parts of the Ten Kings of Jizo Collection in Eigenji Temple, Japan
The author of this figure adopts the double hook method of index finger and middle finger, the little finger obviously does not pick the pen shaft, the name finger is bent, and the bending is not the pen holder, so it is judged to be a three-finger double hook method.
【Yuan】 Zhang Wo", "Linli Gonglin Nine Song Picture Scroll" (partial) Jilin Provincial Museum collection
The pen method of this figure should be a two-finger single-hook pen method in which the thumb and index finger are held together.
VIII. Writing in the Ming Dynasty
【Ming】 Xiang Shengmu "Self-Portrait" (partial) New Hampshire Ongwango Collection
Xiang Shengmo is a famous painter and calligrapher in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and the way of writing in self-portraits, the thumb and index finger are co-holding, and the middle finger, ring finger and little finger are idle and do not pick up the pen holder, which is a typical two-finger single hook pen method.
【Ming】 Anon. "Picture of the Ying Festival" (partial) In the collection of Liaoning Museum
The author on the left of this figure holds the pen with thumb and index finger and middle finger, and the ring finger and little finger are idle and non-stick pen holders, which is a typical three-finger double-hook penmanship method. The author on the right should write the same way, the same three-finger double hook style, but the angle is not the same, it is difficult to judge the ring finger and the little finger to pick the pen holder? According to the analysis of the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty, it can be seen that the ring finger and the little finger should not pick up the pen holder.
IX. Writing in the Qing Dynasty
The Writing or Excavation and Inheritance of Traditional Writing Methods of the Chun Dynasty, such as two-finger single hook, three-finger single hook, and three-finger double hook; or advocating the method of four-finger and five-finger co-holding; or self-created one-way, how Shaoji switched to the back-wrist style in his later years. Therefore, it can be seen from the images of penmanship that existed in the fine art works of the Qing Dynasty that the coexistence of multiple writing methods in this era was the most free and diverse period in the history of writing.
【Qing】 No paragraph "Qianlong Emperor Writing Portrait" Collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing
The Qianlong Emperor was not only an accomplished emperor, but also particularly fond of calligraphy, and many of his inscriptions and handwriting were left behind in the world's famous landscapes. Therefore, as an emperor and a scholar, his writing is very representative. From this work, it can be seen that Qianlong's writing should belong to the method of three fingers and single hooks.
【Qing】 Ding Guanpeng 'Mid-Autumn Festival Map' (partial) Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
The image of Wang Xianzhi's Mid-Autumn Festival" painted by the famous Qing court painter Ding Guanpeng is written by the method of two-finger single hook.
This method of writing is the two-finger single hook method.
【Day】 Back wrist penmanship
Japanese calligraphers imitated Ho Shaoji's back-wrist style of writing.
10. Writing of the Republic of China
From the analysis of the relevant pen-holding images of the Republic of China, the writing in the Republic of China period has been different from the phenomenon of parallel writing methods in the Qing Dynasty, and the three-finger double hook and the flat wrist five-finger pen are the mainstream pen holding methods, and the single-hook pen method is less and less. At the same time, some people have adopted the palm-and-vertical five-finger method. The single-hook pen method belongs to the demise of the penmanship method, and the five-finger penmanship method of the palm vertical style belongs to the emerging development of the penmanship method. However, these two ways of writing are still a minority phenomenon compared with the three-finger double hook and the flat wrist five-finger pen.
Written by Zheng Xiaoxu
Zheng Xiaoxu (1860-1938), a calligrapher who had been the prime minister of puppet Manchukuo and the chief of culture and education, held the posture of the big finger and the middle finger of the index finger, but it was difficult to judge whether the ring finger and the little finger refused to write, and the refusal was the four-finger double hook method, and if it did not refuse, it was the three-finger double hook method.
Luo Zhenyu wrote
The famous archaeologist and epigrapher Luo Zhenyu (1866-1940) wrote his wrist and arm without leaving the table, which should be a palm vertical five-finger penmanship.
11. Writing in modern and contemporary times
After a period of diversified calligraphy and painting methods in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, it entered a new era after 1949. In this era, writing can be said to have undergone an earth-shaking change, that is, the five-finger penmanship method has been recognized and promoted as never before, and it has become the mainstream writing method for the first time in record. So much so that modern ordinary citizens only know that since ancient times, only the five-finger penmanship method is the most orthodox, the most excellent, and it is also a well-known writing method.
The modern typical five-fingered penmanship
This is the cover of the October 2010 Harper's Bazaar Annual Collection, and the characters in the picture are in a five-fingered style that is popular in modern times.
Fengxiang clay sculpture painting pen
Very Search 2012. 6。 12 "Wishes for Mud Out – Shaanxi Fengxiang Clay Sculpture Self-Guided Tour Guide" with photos. Both veteran artists write with a single hook style. Is it traditional, or convenient?
Shu Tong wrote
Mr. Shu Tong was the first chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, and his calligraphy is known as "Shu Tong Body". From shu tong's photo, it can be seen that Shu Tong used the method of three fingers and double hooks when writing the book.
Qi Gong wrote
Before his death, Mr. Qi Gong served as the chairman and honorary chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, the chairman of the State Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, the director of the Central Research Museum of Literature and History, and the president of the Xiling Printing Society. These prominent positions in the industry show the importance of their research. Qi Lao is very similar to Shen Yindi in writing, although he advocates the five-finger penmanship method, he often uses the two-finger double hook method when writing. From the two images selected from the calligraphy bar "Mr. Qi Gong's Pen", it can be clearly seen that his ring finger and little finger are not pasted in the pen, which plays the role of "guiding and sending".
Written by Lin Sanzhi
Lin Sanzhi is a generation of calligraphers and is known as the contemporary "grass sage". In his later years, he wrote the traditional three-finger single hook method similar to modern hard pen law enforcement.
Pen will write
This is an old photograph marketed on the "Confucius Used Books Network" (photo by Shao Yan), which was allegedly published in the November 1986 Issue of the People's Political Consultative Conference Daily. The photograph records the scene of the cooperation of the old painters in the 1980s, of which 7 pen-holding movements, careful observation, about two people are single hook (three fingers), two are double hook method (three fingers), the remaining three are double hook method or five finger pen (four fingers double hook) Is difficult to determine. Although the painter's drawing is more casual than the writer's writing, it can also be explained that the method of writing at that time was not uniform.
Therefore, modern and contemporary penmanship should be divided into two parts, with the purpose of taking the mainland Han cultural area as a unit, because this is the area where the five-finger penmanship method is generally popular; the other is the opposite area, which is not the area where the five-finger penmanship method is popular, that is, Hong Kong, Taiwan and certain ethnic minority areas. There is no universal popularity of the five-finger pen method in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which proves from one side that the five-finger pen method has a short history of popularizing the popularity of the five-finger pen method on a large scale.
On the Internet, we searched for photographs of famous calligraphers and painters in Hong Kong and Taiwan with their pens and paintings, and found that their writing can be said to be a copy of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, with two fingers, three fingers, four fingers, and five fingers, which is a pluralistic state.
Written by Li Qimao
Li Qimao is a well-known internationally renowned ink painting master in Taiwan (born in 1925), and is currently the chairman of the Confucius Society of China and the Chinese Ethics Education Society, the "Professor Li Qimao Art Foundation" established by the University of San Jose in the United States, and the City of San Francisco in the United States has set up November 29 every year as Li Qimao Day, becoming the first person in the Republic of China to receive the honor. It is written in a three-finger single-hook style.
、
Liang Jiehua wrote
The famous Hong Kong figure painter Leung Kit Wah writes a three-finger single hook style.
XII. Shen Yinyi's writing
Shen Yindi emphasized in his book "Treatise on Calligraphy": "The five-character penmanship method is the only performance suitable for the use of arm physiology, the tool of brush production. He wrote in the "Five Character Law of Holding The Pen": The calligraphers have always had different ideas about the method of writing, and I only admit that one of them is correct, because it is reasonable, that is, it was handed down by the Second King and expounded by Lu Xisheng of the Tang Dynasty: the five-character method of holding, taking, hooking, grid, and resisting.
Zhonghua Bookstore publishes the cover of "Calligraphy has a Law"
A calligraphy treatise of a calligrapher who particularly admires the five-finger penmanship uses a photograph of the author's three-finger tilted penmanship.
Relevant expert comment: Shen Yin's calligraphy was better before 1949 than after! If this argument is true, will it be that "writing only for difficulty" has a negative impact on calligraphy?