Unit 15 Flying Strokes of Calligraphy
Lead-in Text study Exercises
Lead-in
Can you tell the English name of the following calligraphy?
Standard Script (楷书) Running Script (行书) Cursive Script (草书)
Introduction
Calligraphy brushes feel soft , supple (柔软的), and are elastic and highly ductile (韧性的), paving the way for the emergence of the art of calligraphy.
1) the square-shaped pictographic characters— whose beautiful forms provided preliminary conditions for the art of calligraphy;
2) the writing brush—an important invention in the history of Chinese culture and the basis for calligraphy to germinate (形成) and develop.
Introduction
The brush is the traditional writing implement in Chinese calligraphy. The body of the brush can be made from either bamboo, or rarer materials such as red sandalwood, glass, ivory, silver, and gold. The head of the brush can be made from the hair (or feathers) of a wide variety of animals.

Rhythm of Calligraphy
• Calligraphy is the art of lines, or strokes. • A dancer can obtain great wisdom from
calligraphy, while an ancient calligrapher can be inspired by dance. • There is some common element that calligraphy and dance share, which is none other than their internal vital energy between the lines, the soul of calligraphy as well as the soul of dance.
Text study
Introduction Rhythm of Calligraphy Wang Xizhi and Preface to the
Lanting Pavilion Collection “Hidden Style” of the Yan Script
Introduction
Rhythm of Calligraphy
Rhythm of Calligraphy
In the Tang Dynasty, the master calligrapher Zhang Xu (张旭) became absorbed running-cursive script but made little progress. One day, on the streets of the capital Chang‘an, he saw a crowd of people gathering to enjoy a performance by Lady Gongsun (公孙大娘), a famous dancer of the time. She was performing a sword dance, her supple body and flying robe mixing with the movements of the sword up and down. Zhang Xu was enchanted (迷 住), and it was through this performance that he discovered the genuine beauty of calligraphy and made rapid progress in his profession.
• The English word “Calligraphy” is unable to cover all the connotations of the art of Chinese writing.
• Two factors contributed to the evolution of Chinese calligraphy:
Rhythm of Calligraphy
Lin Huaimin (林怀民), a famous dancer from China‘s Taiwan Island and director of the Cloud Gate Dancing Troupe, once choreographed (设计舞蹈动 作) a collective dance named “Running-Cursive Script (行草)”, which gained him worldwide fame. His inspirations came from Chinese calligraphy, and dancing enlivened the spirit of the art of writing.