1. Use a pen like "Eagle Watching Peng Die"
Li Si is not only the "originator" of Xiaozhuan, but also the first person to use "metaphor" to describe the brushwork. The metaphor of "the eagle watching the death of the Peng" is what he said (some scholars believe that it is Meng Tian's words).
The original words are: "Using brushwork, first hurriedly return, and then rush down, like an eagle watching Peng pass away..."
It means: When writing a book, you should use a pen like a
goshawk and a penguin to hunt for food. First, you should fly in the air, turn around, and watch. When you see the "target", you should fly down and get close to it.
Before writing, you must first sway in the air to make a "mental preparation" for writing—see and understand the nature of the pen, paper, ink, font, and character meaning; after considering the layout and style, you can start writing quickly Capture the "target"---the expected writing effect.
Zhu Hegeng, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty, said: "If you can fight a rabbit like an eagle in autumn, the sky is blue, and your eyes are shining, you can get it with the method of brush." .
2. Use a pen such as "fishing in water, Jingshan Xingyun".
These two parables are said by Li Si at the same time, so they are explained together.
The general meaning is to use the pen not to be artificial, to be natural and comfortable. It should be like a fish swimming freely, unrestrained, stretched and lively in the water; it should be like the clouds rising from Jingshan Mountain, floating, leisurely, and at ease. It is intended to emphasize the understanding of the law of using the pen from the beauty of nature.
3. Use a pen to "follow the battle"
Han Prime Minister Xiao He was the first person to introduce the art of war into calligraphy in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
In "On Shu Shi", he said: "Fu Shu Shi method is like standing in an array, flexible and in front of the wrist, civil and martial arts are left in the pen, and there must be leaning and squatting, and the opening and closing are based on yin and yang." It's like going into battle.
The meaning is: to be adaptable in the formation, and to be flexible in the use of the pen - it lies in the use of the wrist; in the formation of the formation, it is necessary to dispatch troops
, and the pen must be well arranged;
To be able to unfold and assemble, the pen and body should be good at handling the relationship between the opposites of yin and yang, such as escapement, lifting and pressing, straightness, thickness, disconnection, start and stop, relaxation, back, square and circle.
4. "The pen is the general"
The calligrapher Wang Xizhi once served as the "General of the Right Army" and has unique insights into the magical effect of the brush.
He said in the "Shu Lun": "There is no need to rush to write, so it must be late, why? The pen is a general, so it must be late.
" Because the two have something in common. An order from a general is related to the victory or defeat of war, the gain or loss of soil, and the life and death of people.
When writing a book, as soon as the pen falls on the paper, the ink takes shape, and the life of the character (the flesh and blood) cannot be changed. Therefore, when writing, the writer should be like a general issuing a battle order, judge the situation and proceed cautiously, and not act too hastily.
Wang Youjun once compared the pen to a big knife and a spear. For the life of a "character", it has the effect of life and death. When using a pen, you must be cautious.
5. Use the pen like "cone drawing sand", such as "printing pad"
This is the original words of Chu Suiliang, one of the four calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, in his "Lunshu".
"Cone painting sand" and "Yinyinmu" are two well-known terms that express the meaning of brushwork, and they are concepts that people who are engaged in calligraphy must know.
"Cone drawing sand"
means that the cone front of a weapon (or tool) such as a spear is drawn into the flat sand, the sand shape is convex on both sides, and the middle is concave into a line.
When using a pen on paper, it should be like "drawing sand with a cone".
The ink marks float on both sides of the lines, making people feel dignified, prominent, dangerous, three-dimensional, full of texture, force, and astringency.
"Printing the ink pad"
means that the pen should be like a seal printed on the viscous purple clay, deep and powerful, and clearly visible, so as to create the effect of uniform arrangement, strict shape, clear black and white, roundness and strength, and the combination of rigidity and softness.
The two metaphors vividly outline the "wisdom of the pen" that the center achieves after using the pen and paying attention to the possession of the front. If you can deeply understand its meaning, the center who "penetrates the wood with three points" and "penetrates the back of the paper" uses the pen "trick", then he can be regarded as comprehended.
6. Use a pen such as "The awning vibrates by itself, and the sand sits flying"
Zhang Xu, a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, said when he talked about the use of a pen: "The lonely tent is self-evident, and it is shocked by the sand to sit and fly. After thinking about it, I write a book, and it is strange."
"Spontaneous vibration of the awning" means that the pen should be like a kind of lonely flying awning grass shaking all over, triggering it to rise, turn over and run.
"Frightened to fly by the sand" means to use the pen like the sand that has been vibrated and fly up naturally.
Zhang Xu, nicknamed "Zhang Dian", is proficient in regular script and is most famous for cursive script.
The meaning of this sentence is that he saw the above two natural phenomena, and realized the use of calligraphy (cursive script), so that his brushstrokes had novel changes and achieved the desired state of "vibration".
7. Use a pen such as "house leak marks"
"House leak marks" was said by Yan Zhenqing, the calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, the creator of "Yan Style" calligraphy, and Huai Su, a monk who asked him for advice.
The full text of the original words is:
"Su said: 'I saw the Xiayun many strange peaks, and I often taught them. The joyful places are like birds coming out of the forest, scaring snakes into the grass. When I meet the road of Dibi, one by one is natural.' Zhenqing said : 'What's the matter with the leak marks in the house?' Su Qi shook his hand and said, 'Here you are!'"
Here, Huai Su, known as "Drunken Su", talked about his own experience in using a pen, and he used it four times in a row. A metaphor: Xia Yunqifeng, flying birds out of the forest, frightened snakes into the grass, and the road to the wall, it should be said that I have a lot of research and experience in using the pen.
However, Yan Zhenqing didn't take it seriously, and said, "Why is there a leak in the house?" Huai Su listened, and she burst into tears.
It can be seen that the metaphor of "house leak marks" is more vivid, appropriate, accurate and classic. "
What is the meaning of "house leak"?
After the Tang Dynasty, many calligraphers have explained this, and most people think that it refers to the use of the pen by the center or the Tibetan front, and "words do not reveal the corners of Guijiao".
Today's Shen Yinmo explained it more clearly in "The Collection of Calligraphy", saying that "the leak marks in the house" are: "The rainwater seeps into the walls and condenses into droplets before it can flow down slowly. Popular, leave its marks on the wall."
From Mr. Shen Yinmo's explanation, it can be seen that the "image" of this "mark" is natural, astringent, textured, and generally vertical. If writing with a pen dipped in ink can achieve this effect, then it has entered the highest level of brushwork.
"House leak marks" is a very well-known figurative metaphor for the requirements and artistic effects of using a pen, and it is a concept that people who are interested in calligraphy must know.
It should be pointed out that Huai Su’s “Four Metaphors” can also be used for reference. Among them, the “Road to Dibi Wall” refers to the natural cracks in the natural cracks of the wall, which are naturally clear and without artificial arrangement. If so, stippling will be completely natural. This metaphor is often quoted by later generations.
8. Use a pen like "Row for a long time"
Huang Tingjian, a poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, said in "Inscriptions on the Valley": "Yuanyoujian's calligraphy is stupid and dull, and there are not many brushes. If you enter the gorge late, you will see the oars for many years, and you will understand the brushwork." Here the word "long" Pronounce "rise". "Long Nian" is the name given by the people of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River to the boatmen with the poles on the bow.
"Long-year-old rowing" means boatman rowing. Huang Tingjian passed by the Three Gorges by boat at the age of 56 in 1101, so it is said that he "entered the Gorge late".
The meaning of this sentence is that Huang Tingjian has been troubled for many years by "the pen is not enough" and "the pen is dull". In his later years, he took a boat to cross the Three Gorges and saw the boatmen pitching forward and backward rhythmically within a certain space. , push the oar out to restore it, go back and forth, and coordinate with nature. Huang Tingjian realized how to use the pen to naturally "in place" by the action of the boatman's oars being "in place" naturally. From then on, the pen began to "ripple" leisurely like a boatman, sweeping away the meaning of "dumb".
Descendants commented on Huang Tingjian's calligraphy works, "It is turbulent and turbulent, probably because of the help of rowing for many years." Huang Tingjian lived to the age of 61, and he attached great importance to the use of a pen all his life. He once said: "Ancient manual books are no different, but they can use a pen." The realization of the "elegant" brushwork in "Paddles" is the result of his many years of studying brushwork and accumulating rich practical experience.
9. Use a pen such as "folding hairpins"
Jiang Kui, a poet, musician, and calligrapher of the Southern Song Dynasty, said in the "Suspension of the Book": "Zhe hairpin strands want their twists and turns to be round and powerful."
Hairpins, a kind of jewelry on women's hair buns, are mostly made of gold and silver materials with good toughness, generally composed of two strands.
"Folding hairpins" is a style of brushwork that uses the image of "gold and silver hairpins" as a metaphor at the turning point of the strokes.
It means to use the pen to go to the turning point of the line, the brush should be flat, the front should be straight, and it should be round without twisting or skewing, so that the line at the turning point is like a bent "hairpin", and the surface is smooth and even. It is said that the interior is strong and energetic, showing a relaxed and beautiful state.
Later calligraphers have also explained this metaphor a lot. The Qing Dynasty calligrapher Zhu Lvzhen said in the "Science of Calligraphy": "A person who folds a hairpin is like the break of a hairpin, which means that the corners are rounded and the strength is equal."
The above 16 metaphors from 9 people including Li Si, Xiao He, Wang Xizhi, Chu Suiliang, Zhang Xu, Yan Zhenqing, Huai Su, Huang Tingjian, Jiang Kui, etc., relate to the importance, concept, posture, movement, technique, effect and other aspects of using the pen , is an important part of "writing style", one of the important traditions of "calligraphy", and it is also the "true scripture" taught by calligraphers of all dynasties (there are also different views on the feasibility of these metaphors). Those who step into "the way of calligraphy" must not be ignorant of the above metaphors. But "metaphor" is a metaphor after all, it is only a kind of "closeness" to the essence of things, not the thing itself. The learner can only refer to it in practice, and should not be rigid. Because in the final analysis, "kill the pig and kill the tail - each has its own way of killing", the above 9 people are calligraphy masters, and each person's feelings about brushwork - metaphors are different.
In order to facilitate memory, the author refers to the above metaphor as "using a pen formula":
The pen is a general, as if he were on the battlefield.
Eagles watch Peng pass away, fish in water,
Jingshan thrives. Riding the oars for many years,
sitting and flying in shock, the lonely canopy vibrates by itself.
Xiayun Qifeng, the road of Bibi, scares
snakes into the grass, and birds out of the forest.
Cone painting sand, printing ink pad,
folding hairpin strands, house leak marks.
If you understand the mystery of it, you will be able to use the pen to enlighten the spirit.
It should be pointed out that when reading the classics, I found that calligraphers from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties after the Song Dynasty basically repeated, annotated, and continued the statements made before the Tang and Song Dynasties when discussing the "metaphors" of the use of brushes. A new metaphor for insights. Therefore, the author only selected before the Song Dynasty. From this aspect, it can be seen that before the Song Dynasty, how to use the pen had been studied thoroughly. Therefore, those who want to learn calligraphy should read more calligraphy theoretical works and classic calligraphy before the Song Dynasty when learning and grasping the method of using the brush.
In terms of calligraphy, I think Cai Yong's use of the word "jiji" in the late Han Dynasty is the most accurate.
In Feng Wu's "The True Story of Calligraphy", Cai Yong's daughter Cai Yan described her father's calligraphy and said: "There are two methods of calligraphy: one is called 'sickness', the other is called 'astringency', and there are two methods of 'sickness and astringency'. It's wonderful."
When he said "sickness", he meant fast; when he said "astringency," he meant that the pen did not slip over the paper, causing it to rub, and the painting was powerful.
The ancients talked about writing brushes, Zhang Xu had a "carrying man to fight for the road", and Su Dongpo had a "punt against the current". Zhang said it was "astringent" and Su said it was "reverse". In short, it is only with the pen against the trend that the paper rubs against the paper, and the painting can be effective.
"Only a soft pen is strange." Use a soft pen to rub against the trend against the paper, and the painting is natural, vivid and powerful. If the pen is too hard, it is not easy to be vivid, and it is not interesting. Like painting, especially Chinese painting, using a brush to draw wires is not as good as using a pen to draw a picture, but the painter refuses to use it, so you can know the truth of using a soft pen.
The writing brush is soft, and the writing can be large or small, long or short, square or round, fat or thin, dry or moist, and it can be used in various sizes, lengths, squares, fat and thin, and dry and moist. There are many changes, but they can be sublime. Because the pen is soft, it needs to be "sick" and "astringent", so that the strokes can be strong and changeable.
"Astringent" is easy to learn, but "sickness" is not easy for beginners to do. If you can't be fast but reluctantly, it is very bad if you are busy and busy.
Therefore, manpower should start from "slowness" and gradually progress to "sickness". "Astringent" is inseparable from "reverse". The pen must be in the center, but the pen barrel is slightly inclined to the left and back, pointing to the nose, so that the front of the pen is slightly forward to the right (that is, the northeast on the map), then the front Go against the trend and still be positive.
It is almost possible to write as much as possible. Before the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, I was in Nanjing every night for three or four months to see "Zhang Menglong Monument". At the beginning, I wrote four or five hundred words an hour, and gradually it reached six or seven hundred words. Nearly 200 times, you can write 800 or 900 words. "Astringent" can be done slowly and stopped step by step, but "sickness" can't be forced, you have to go with the flow, otherwise there will be problems.
The ancients used the brush to fold a painting three times, starting from the middle and closing to the middle. The word "astringent" has been mentioned, but it has not been clearly stated. It can be said that only half of it is mentioned, only the beginning and end of the painting. Speaking of mid-cuts.
Because of "no sagging, no shrinking" and "everywhere, no closing", but only when it comes to painting and painting, the middle section must be paused, and it is not mentioned.
Calligraphers after the Tang and Song dynasties gradually forgot the meaning of the word "astringent", and the middle part of the painting felt weak, and even Su Dongpo couldn't avoid the characters more than two inches.
The usage of "astringent" is to stop step by step, to turn long paintings into short paintings (long paintings are accumulated from mountain and short paintings). Therefore, no matter how long the painting is, it will not become weak and become a dead end. That's what Sun Tzu said: "A good fighter has a dangerous situation and a short period of time." The same is true of our writing. "Its potential is dangerous", that is to say, it must be fast and fierce, that is, "the soldiers are expensive and fast."
I would also like to add that writing should be fast, but it is not absolutely necessary to be slow. It can also be used in the places where it is necessary to turn around, and when there is a situation of "seeing it until it is too late", especially when writing large characters in regular script, sometimes it is necessary to refer to it. Use slow. But there is no common standard for speed, and everyone has their own standards.
It may be that the slowest person who is good at book is faster than the average person. The predecessors have said, "The strength of ten thousand millimeters can be strong, and the strength of five fingers can be astringent." It is the function of the stroke of the brush to make a painting on the paper, so if you want to make a little bit of force, you will use a millimetre of force, "tens of thousands of millimetres of force". There are five fingers to grasp the pen, and the force of the whole body reaches the pen through the five fingers, so the force of the five fingers must be used.
How can we make the ten thousand millimeters of force? That is to use the center to make the counter-trend, so that ten thousand millimeters are spread. If you use a slanted front, you can't use all the force, because you can't talk about using 10,000 milliliters of force when you swipe diagonally. The word "Qi" is very important. If you don't use a center, the strokes will not be "Qi". If the four fingers can't work together, and the pen is not grasped tightly, there will be no force at all.
No matter how quick the sword is, if you don't hold it with force, it will not be able to exert its power. So we have to talk about using the power of the whole body. To use all the strength, you have to lift the elbow and hang the wrist (that is, the cantilever) - it is best to write small letters and also lift the elbow and hang the wrist. In addition, the left hand should also use force, and the right hand should be "like the wings" to prevent it from drying up, so that the whole body can be used.
Bao Shenbo's "Self-inscribed Brush Array Picture Poem" said: "To the point where the whole body is full of energy, the first thing to do is to keep the two feet safe. When you understand the force of the geese and the water, you will know that the strength of your five fingers is difficult." This is the strength of the whole body. A pointless statement. If a boxer wants to make a powerful punch, he must first make his feet stand firm, and then he can exert his whole body strength, and the same is true of brushwork. Goose's feet are from front to back.
Later generations wrote, and many people stretched their elbows forward, and their stance was far and weak. When writing a book, their wrists swayed left and right, which violated this principle. With the elbow stretched forward, put down the pen, open the palm, the palm is forward. The elbow must be placed across the front—that is, the fat is placed across the front. Put down the pen, open the palm, and turn the palm to the left. Only in this way can the goose push water, and the painting is powerful, especially when writing horizontal painting.
But the person who writes is the finger, so to say "five fingers together" (should say four fingers together), this is a mistake, and it is not easy to play the role of "astringent". Bao Shenbo said "five fingers work together", Kang Changsuo said "four fingers compete for power", the reason is the same. Because the index is five, you must use force all the time, but there are only four fingers in charge. To make the force of the four fingers equal, and the fingers are around the tube, so it is called "strength".
Bao Shenbo said that the power of the name finger is equal to the power of the big finger, and the words are not badly written. These words are very reliable. Because the name finger is the most difficult to exert force, it takes a lot of hard work. Needless to say, the big finger is easy to exert force, so the middle finger can exert force, and the other fingers can work together without any problem. "Astringent" is due to the good use of contrarians and friction, but it means that it cannot play a role if it is not strong, and it will be discounted.
The first time to use "astringent" is to use all your strength to slowly write, and pause step by step. When you are proficient, you will get up quickly and make the stroke fly like a fly, but you will still pause step by step, and you will not notice it. If you can use "astringency" and make your hands a habit, you can go anywhere without being "astringent".
If you want to be fast as soon as you start, it will be easy to slide straight, especially if you can't be fast and fast, you will be busy, slippery and messy, which is very bad. Fast and hard are related. Boxers should punch fast, and if they are not fast, they will have no strength. The reason why bullets can destroy is also because of fast, slow will have no power. Therefore, the word "ji" is very important. Quickly can improve its friction force, that is, increase its "astringency" degree.
However, it is not advisable to learn quickly at the beginning, so you have to start from late, from "slow" to "severe", and the characters will be well written.