Wong Joon Tai on Lishu 运开临隶书

It is inevitable that a new learner of Chinese calligraphy will ask these questions: Where do I start if I want to learn Chinese Calligraphy? What model calligraphic books should I use as a beginner?

Perhaps the easy way out is to find a good teacher. However, it is all too easy to talk about finding a good teacher.

Su Dongpo once said, ‘Running script is evolved from Standard script, and Cursive script from Running script. Standard script is like standing, Running script is like walking, and Cursive script is like running. It is not possible to learn walking before standing and to learn running before walking.’ In other words, you must master the basic skills by learning a Standard script before you are able to learn more complex skills.

Standard script refers to Official, Clerical and Regular scripts. As it is often said that all roads lead to Rome, so you can start the learning journey with either Official, Clerical or Regular script. But, our ancient masters also advised that, if you follow the very best, you probably can achieve fairly good result; and if you follow the fairly good, you can achieve only mediocre result. So, it is better that you choose the best method to start with. According to some calligraphy educationists in China, it is best to start with the Official script as it is the origin of the Chinese calligraphy. As Clerical script is the link between Official script and Regular script, it is the second best to start with. Regular script is the newest form of the three scripts, and when learning it, one must always refer back to the other two older scripts, and therefore it is the worst to start with.

From past experience, it is not effective to start with Regular script. This is because the structure of Regular script is too complicated and difficult to master. If the application of brush techniques is over emphasized, it will lead to a loss of interest in learning and therefore makes it difficult to achieve required result. On the other hand, Official script is an ancient script that is not recognizable by most people today, and as a result, there is a lack of interest in learning it.

It seems that taking the middle ground of starting with Clerical script is the most suitable way to go in our current social environment.

My own learning journey seems to confirm the above learning theory. I started with various Official scripts, and the feeling was that ‘not knowing what I was writing’. I then switched to practice Clerical script. At the Calligraphy Society, I was told to start with Regular script and then followed by Running script. This year, while learning the Running and Cursive scripts, I decided to practice the Clerical script again. I have discovered through this new experience that by taking the middle ground of starting with Clerical script, one can accomplish twice as much with half the effort.

‘The best method’ also refers to selecting the most suitable model calligraphic work to start with. The general rule is to select the most accepted calligraphic works and avoid those written by recent or contemporary calligraphers. Among the Han dynasty tablet inscriptions in clerical script, Cao Quan Stele and Ritual Vessels Stele are two shinning gems of the ‘delicate beauty’ category. New learners can therefore start with any one of them.

Shown here is my copy work of Caoquan Stele.

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运开临曹全碑 Copy Work of Caoquan Stele

学习书法，最常问的问题是：学习书法，应怎样入门？如何选字帖？或者，最好的办法就是找个好老师。可是，真师难寻啊！

苏东坡曾说过：‘真生行，行生草，真如立，行如行，草如走，未有未能立而能行，未能行而能走者也。’就是说，要先学真书以练好基本功，接下来才学复杂的。

真书指篆、隶与楷书。所谓条条大路通罗马，所以篆隶楷皆可以入门。但是，古人又认为，取法乎上，僅得乎中；取法乎中，僅得乎下。所以在这三种真书中，还须取法乎上。按目前中国一些书法教育者的看法，篆书是中华书法的源头，由篆书入门，就是取法乎上。隶书承上启下，是中间介入，由隶书入门，算是取法乎中。楷书由近及远，由楷书入门，可说取法乎下。

经验显示，由楷书入门，往往效果不佳。这是因为楷书结构复杂，难以掌握。过度强调技法训练，又会导致学习兴趣减退，难以达到学习效果。而篆书又远离时代，现代人已经不能变认阅读，所以学习的兴趣不大。

看来取法乎中，由隶书入门最适合现代社会的情况。

我本人学习书法的过程，完全体验了上述观点。开始学各种篆书，感觉不知在学什么。后来改写隶书；来到书协，又由楷而行。今年学行与草间，又花时间临隶书，才发现取法乎中，由隶书入门，的确能取得事半功倍之效。

取法乎上亦指最好法帖。一般原则是取公认好法帖，避免最近或当代书法家作品。在汉朝隶书碑帖中，《曹全碑》与《礼器碑》可以说是属于秀丽书法中的两颗闪亮钻石。任何一帖都不失为一个良好的入门法帖。