Brush Techniques: Slanted-tip for Writing Beautifully 笔法：侧锋取妍

One of the most important aspects of brush techniques is the emphasis on the proper use of the tip of the brush. The most preferred technique is known as zhongfeng, which literally means ‘centred tip’. (See diagram above.) While writing the character the brush is held vertically so that the tip of the brush always moves within the middle of the stroke. A character written this way is said to be vigorous, smooth and natural.

Opposite of zhongfeng is the use of the side of the brush, when the tip of the brush moves along one side of the stroke so that its direction and the path of movement of the brush form a right angle. This way of moving the brush is known as pianfeng, or sided-tip. (See diagram above.) Since ancient time, pianfeng technique is never advocated by calligraphers and a stroke written this way is considered to be a failure.

When the tip of the brush moves in an angle which is between zhongfeng and pianfeng, it is known as cefeng, or slanted-tip. (See diagram below.)

Ancient calligraphers paid much attention to the zhongfeng technique; some even advocated that every stroke must be written using zhongfeng. But not everyone was convinced of this theory. In one essay written in Ming dynasty, the writer Ni Sumen expressed his doubt by saying, ‘Wang Xizhi and Xianzhi did not always use zhongfeng. This fact was not discovered or mentioned by the ancients… However, when calligraphers use the brush, it must be used in a lively and flexible way, and that the brush must be approached from various angles. This is to reflect the spirit of brush writing. How can we take zhongfeng as the only acceptable method and thereby limit ourselves?’

Another scholar Wang Shizhen of Ming dynasty wrote, ‘Since the ancient time, zhongfeng and cefeng had never been an issue. As I am currently focusing on studying Zhu Jingzhao’s calligraphy, I may take the opportunity to talk about it. Sushi and Wang Tingjian used cefeng for all their strokes, and Zhang Xu and Huai Su used it occasionally. Even Wang Xizhi could not avoid using it when writing the walking and cursive scripts. This is because zhongfeng is used for writing vigorously and steadily, while cefeng for writing dynamically beautiful lines and, one could not control which way to go. Wen Zhenming regularly used cefeng when writing small size characters. So cefeng is not only used by Zhu Jingzhao, and how could the use of it stop the works from being model works?’

Huang Tingjian pointed out that ‘to write calligraphy properly and steadily (by using zhongfeng), one is constrained by its rules. On the other hand, to write beautifully by using cefeng, one always ends up in gaining some desired results and losing some.’

Zhu Hegeng of Qing dynasty concluded, ‘zhengfeng is for writing vigorous and steady strokes and cefeng for dynamically beautiful strokes.’

Therefore, it is necessary to apply both zhongfeng and cefeng so as to achieve the effects of both vigorous and beautiful strokes.

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笔法中强调的重要的一点是笔毫笔尖的适当运用。中锋是其中最为推崇的笔法。书写时，笔干垂直，令笔心在笔画中央运行。以中锋书写的线条会强烈、顺畅与自然。

与中锋相反的笔法是以笔心在线条的边缘行走，并与书写轨道成90度角。这就是偏锋。自古以来，书家从不提倡偏锋，以偏锋写出的笔画向来被当作败笔。

笔尖与笔运行方向形成的角度在中锋与偏锋之间的笔法，就叫做侧锋。

古人对‘中锋’很重视，甚至有‘笔笔中锋’之说。但是，也有不同的见解。古代书论中就曾有如下的质问："羲、献作字，皆非中锋，古人从未窥破，从未说破。……然书家溺笔极活极圆，四面八方，笔意俱到，岂拘拘中锋为一定成法乎？"（明末倪苏门《书法论》）

另一位明朝学者王世贞写道：‘正锋、侧锋之说，古本无之，近来专欲攻京兆，故借此为谈耳。苏、黄全是偏锋，旭、素时有一二笔，即右军行草中亦不能尽废。盖正以立骨，偏以取态，自不容已也。文待诏小楷，时时出偏锋，固不特京兆，何损法书?！’

黄庭坚指出：‘学书端正，则窘于法度，侧锋取妍，往往工左而病右。’

清代朱和羹《临池心解》总结：‘正锋取劲，侧笔取妍。’

可以说，我们用笔应该是中侧锋并用，才能稳劲妍丽兼得。

Su Demao at Calligraphy Exchange Gathering 苏德茂：书画交流雅集现场挥毫

Calligrapher Su Demao gave a talk at the 77th monthly Calligraphy & Painting Exchange Gathering organised by the Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan on 26 June 2010. The talk is on the importance of practising Chinese calligraphy by copying the model calligraphic works of the ancient calligraphers. In fact, he advocated that this is the only way to master the calligraphic skills.

He then touched on how to study and analyse accurately the model calligraphic works so that one can copy accurately the spirit and skills of the works. This website will publish the transcription from his talk once it is ready.

After the talk, calligrapher Su demonstrated on the spot the writing of calligraphy in front of about 70 attendees of the talk.

The gathering was also attended by Indian artist Rajib Bhattacharjee who was in Singapore from 23 to 29 June to conduct a study known as Project Singapore. His interest is in how the community as a whole and the urban space are affected by aggressive urbanisation. He is doing a project on Singapore as it is the most urbanised country in this part of the world. He is fascinated by the Chinese calligraphy as a unique art of lines and hopes to get some inspirations from it in his reflections of the character of the changing urban space.

Here are some photos taken during the exchange gathering.

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书法家苏德茂老师于6月26日在潮州八邑会馆主办的第77次书画交流雅集讲座会中谈临摹古代法帖对学习书法的重要性。其实，苏老师认为临帖时获得技巧的唯一方法。

苏老师也谈到如何准确地学习与分析古人优秀作品，这样我们临帖时才能学到其精神与技巧。本网站会把苏老师的讲稿整理后发表，敬请留意。

座谈后，苏老师也为大约70名座谈会的出席者当场挥毫。

来自印度的艺术家拉吉也出席了这次的交流雅集。拉吉于6月23日至29日访问新加坡，进行有关‘新加坡项目’的研究。拉吉的兴趣在于强力城市化对整个社区与城市空间所带来的影响。他有兴趣对新加坡进行研究时因为新加坡是本地区最城市化的国家。他被华人书法这门独特的线条艺术所吸引，希望从中可以获得一些灵感来反映他对不断变化城市空间的感想。

这里是交流雅集当日的一些图片。

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Su Demao 苏德茂

Su Demao is a calligrapher who is living in Singapore now.

Su Demao, a native of Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province of China, is a retired senior teacher. He is currently a member of the Theoretical Research Committee of the Liaoning Provincial Calligraphers’ Association. As a member of the Tang Poetry Studies Society of Liaoning Province, he presents essays regularly at the Society’s annual conference. He authored a number of books, including ‘Couplets Made by Pasting Together Calligraphic Words from Ancient Steles and Rubbings’, ‘Couplets Composed from the Ancient Poems’. His articles that are published in the ‘Nanyang Arts’ magazine include ‘Comments on 20th Century World Exhibition on Oracle-bone Inscriptions’, ‘Gui Linping and Finger Paintings’.

Su Damao is good at calligraphy of cursive scripts. His works have been selected for display many times at exhibitions held in Liaoning Province, Liaoyang City.

In Singapore, he is active in the Singapore Shicheng Calligraphy and Seal-Carving Society, Lion City Calligraphy Exhibitions, the Calligraphy & Painting Society of the Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, Chinese Calligraphy Group of the Bishan Community Club.

You are welcome to give your comments on his calligraphic works.

Su Demao’s calligraphy activities can be found in this blog: http://icalligraphy.blogspot.com/search/label/Su%20Demao

Click on the image to enlarge. 请点击图片以放大。

中国旅新书法家。

辽宁省辽阳市人。为退休中学高级教师。为辽宁省书法家协会理论研究会会员。辽宁省唐诗研究会会员，都有论文在该会年会上发表。著有《中国古代碑帖集字联选》、《中国古代诗文集联选》多种。在《新加坡南洋艺术》上有“二十世纪世界甲骨文大展”评述，“桂林平与指画”等等多篇论文发表。

擅长草书。作品曾参加辽宁省、辽阳市的多次展出。

在新加坡参加狮城书法篆刻会、狮城墨韵展，潮州八邑会馆书画会及碧山书艺学会活动。

欢迎对他的书法作品进行指教。

关于苏德茂先生的书法活动，见本网站 http://icalligraphy.blogspot.com/search/label/Su%20Demao 。

Calligraphy Writing Medium Before the Qin Dynasty 先秦书写载体

Paper existed in China since the 2nd century BC, before the Qin dynasty. Before the use of paper, Chinese texts were carved on tortoise shells, animal bones, bronze wares, jade or stones. Silk was also used by the small class of aristocrats, while bamboo and wood slips by the general public.

The oracle-bone inscriptions were found on tortoise shells and animal bones. They were used in the Shang Dynasty 1600 BC by the priests of the court to communicate with the spirits of the dead, mainly the ancestors of the rulers. Whenever there was a question to be asked, the priests would inscribe it on a shell or animal bone and then have it heated by fire. The shell or bone would become cracked after being heated. The priest would read the signs showing on these cracks. The prediction was then inscribed on the same shell or bone for record and future reference. The word ‘predict’ in Chinese is bu (卜), which looks like a crack.

The inscriptions on bronze were mainly records in commemoration of certain ceremonies in the court or glories of the battle. The inscriptions on stone-drum were records of hunting activities of the Qin kings.

The books made of bamboo and wood slips varied in size, and the longer in length the more important events were recorded. There were said to have appeared in the Shang Dynasty.

The longer bamboo slips were used to record state laws or important historical events. The shorter bamboo slips were used for text books, while the shortest bamboo slips were used to record biographies.

The wood slips were used only for events of minor importance such as official documents, notices, accounts or inventories, correspondence, etc. The most common sizes in wide used were one Chinese foot slips and the five inch slips. One foot slips were used for writing letters and five inch slips were used as certificates or identities issued by the army authorities or local governments to their soldiers or citizens for passing through the city wall gates and other check-points.

From the times of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, silk had also been used as a writing material. Dating from the Han Dynasty, there were known texts found on silk cover military strategy, mathematics, cartography and the six classical arts of ritual, music, archery, horsemanship, writing and arithmetic.
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在公元前二世纪，秦朝之前，纸就已经出现了。在纸还没有发明之前，中国文字是刻在龟壳、兽骨、铜器、玉器或石头上面。缣帛为少数的贵族所用，而一般百姓则用竹与木简。

甲骨文用的是龟壳与兽骨。在公元前1600年商朝，巫师用甲骨文来与死去的灵魂沟通，这些死者多数为统治者的先人。每当有问题要问时，巫师就把问题刻在壳或骨上，然后以火来在壳或骨上加热。壳或骨被加热后，就会出现裂痕。巫师根据裂痕来占卜。占卜的结果也可在同一个壳或骨上以为记录，或以供后来参考。中文‘卜’看来就像裂痕。

铸在铜器的金文主要是记录朝廷重要仪式或战争的胜利。石鼓文则记录战国秦王游猎之类事情。

以竹简或木简所书写的书经的长度不一，长度越长，所记录的事件越重要。这些竹简或木简据说商朝就已出现。

最长的竹简用来纪录国家律法或重要历史事件。较短的用来书写经典，最短的书写子书。

木简则用来记录次要的国家文件、通告、帐簿、存货、来往书信，等等。木简最常见的有一尺或五寸。一尺木简所用来写书信，就是所谓的‘尺牍’。五寸木简多数有军队或地方政府用来当证书或通行证，给予士兵或百姓通关或检查站之用。

在春秋战国时期，缣帛就已经被用来当作书写用品了。今日所知，汉朝就有不少军事策略、数学、地图、六艺（礼、乐、射、御、书、数）之类是写在缣帛的。

The Common Mistakes on Writing the Dot 点画通病

Here are four common mistakes on writing the dot.

1. When two dots appear in a word, their directions and sizes must be symmetrical and appropriate.

2. When four dots appear in a word, the dots must be arranged linearly, with the left dot lower than the right dot. The first two dots should be inclined to the right and the last two dots to the left. All dots must be pointed to the centre of the word. Generally speaking, the first and forth dots must be bigger that second and third dots.

3. When three dots arranged vertically appear in a word, they must be arranged in such a way that they form a leftward arc. The distance between the first and second dots should be shorter than that of the second and third dots.

4. When the word ‘心’ (heart) is contained in a word, the size of the first and third dots should normally be bigger than that of the middle dot and the left dot should be lower than the right dot. The left dot should not be placed too high up.

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这里举出写点时的四个通病：

1． 一个字如出现两点，如‘塔’、‘僧’、‘集’等字，它们的方向、大小要对称。

2． 一个字如出现四点，它们应该排列成为一条线，左点低于有点。第一与第二点方向向左，第三与第四点方向向右，全部的点都指向字的中心。一般来说，第一与第四点较大，第二与第三点较小。

3． 一个字如有‘三点水’，三点的连线应形成外拓的弧形。第一与第二点较靠近，第二与第三点稍远。

4． 一个字如有‘心’字在内，点的大小也是两头大，中间小，左点低于有点。第一点(左点) 不可太高。