The Regular Script Structure Can Be Summed Up In Six Characters!

Yang Xiong, a calligrapher of the Han Dynasty, proposed that "calligraphy is the painting of the heart"; Wang Xizhi's "On the Theory of Calligraphy" said: "If you want to learn the method of calligraphy, you must first study the ink, concentrate on meditation, and anticipate the shape of the characters." This means that before writing, you need to "anticipate the font shape" and establish an "impression awareness" of the font structure in your mind, so that "the intention comes first". And how to establish a clear structural "impression awareness" instead of just blindly posting? Below, we try to condense the lengthy and cumbersome structural rules into a six-word formula:

"Density, shape, main stroke"

Below, we simply try to figure out the application from these three aspects.

1. Density
"Dense" refers to the issue of density of strokes, that is, the strokes that are close together are called dense, and the opposite is called sparse. Chinese characters are composed of strokes interspersed to form a contrast between density and density. These dense places are often where the spirit of the characters lies, just like the "Zen Eye" in Zen. As Kang Youwei said, "there must be a place where the spirit ties the knot." If the characters can be made The dense areas appear distinct and prominent, and the font structure is more than half grasped. (Figure 1)

2. Body
"Shape" refers to the shape of the characters, that is, the shape formed by connecting the edges of the characters. Chinese characters must have an appearance, and calligraphy practitioners should also have an impression of the shape of the font in their mind, and then actively construct corresponding glyphs. This will significantly promote the formation of a clear "impression consciousness." (Figure 2)

3. Main writer
"Main" refers to the issue of the primary and secondary strokes. Long strokes and large strokes are the primary strokes, and vice versa. Artistic shapes must be divided into priorities, and characters with a certain sense of beauty must be expressed well. When observing the copybook, consciously remembering or focusing on 1-3 main strokes will be of great help in forming a clear "impression awareness". (Figure 3)