Zhong Yao 钟繇

Zhong Yao and Zhang Zhi were two greatest calligraphers of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Zhang Zhi is traditionally honoured as the Sage of Cursive Script and Zhong Yao is said to have achieved high standard in Kaishu (standard script). In fact, he was also attributed to the development of Kaishu.
For his achievements in kaishu, he is peered with Wang Xizhi, the calligraphy sage, referred to as ‘Zhong Wang.’
Zhong Yao (151－230), also named Zhong Yuanchang, was a native of Changge County of Henan Province during the Three Kingdoms Period. He was a successful politician, who served in the official courts of Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Rui of Wei kingdom. He had been treated well by Cao Cao. Following Cao Pi's death and Cao Rui taking the throne, Zhong Yao was appointed as a Grand Tutor of Wei in 226, and as such he was also known as Grand Tutor Zhong.
As a small boy, Zhong studied under such famous calligraphers as Cao Xi, Cai Yong and Liu Desheng, the cream of the crop. He developed adept skills at all kinds of scripts, and was especially good at kaishu. His calligraphy, simple but well-organized in structure and natural in handwriting, represented a transition from lishu (official script) to kaishu.
It is said that the famous saying on calligraphy was from him: ‘While the brush traces the line boundaries, it is man who creates the beauty of the rhythmic flows.’
Once when lecturing on calligraphy to his son - Zhong Hui - he said, ‘I have been studying calligraphy for more than 30 years. Whenever I meet a friend, we will discuss calligraphy by writing on the ground. My bedclothes were lacerated due my practice on them with my hand. I also imitated the living things in nature from the calligraphic point of view.’
His calligraphic works were given great importance in the dynasties to follow, but authentic works of his no longer exist, leaving only duplicates made during the Song Dynasty. His masterpieces were Xuanshi Biao and Jianjizhi Biao.
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钟繇与张芝是东汉两个最伟大的书法家。
传统上，张芝被称为草圣，而钟繇则被认为在楷书的成就很大。事实上，他被认为对楷书发展有重要贡献。
他在楷书的成就，与书圣王羲之并列，称‘钟王’。
钟繇(151－230)，字元常，三国时河南长葛人。他在政治上相当成功，在曹操，曹丕与曹睿的朝廷中服务。曹操待他不错。曹丕死后，曹睿接位，封他为魏朝太傅，故世称钟太傅。
钟繇从小向当时书法名家如曹喜，蔡邕与刘德升学习书法。他精通各体书法，尤其精于楷书。他的书法，简练而结构协和，笔画自然，代表由隶入楷的过渡。
据说书论名言‘笔迹者，界也，流美者，人也。’是他说的。
有一次，他把儿子钟会叫来讲述书法时说：‘我学习书法三十余年。每遇到朋友，就在周围地上练习谈书法。把床被当作纸张，长时间长以手书写而划了个大窟窿。见到花草树木，虫鱼鸟兽等自然景物，就会与笔法联系起来。’
他的书法被后代所重视，可是没有传世作品，只有宋代的摹本。他的名作有‘宣示表’与‘薦季直表’。