Nine Common Forms of Chinese Calligraphy (Part 1)

For those who are new to calligraphy, in addition to teaching some writing skills about calligraphy, the calligraphy teacher will also tell some knowledge related to calligraphy works. And even ask everyone to write a calligraphy work at the end of the course. There will be questions for many people. First, what content I want to write. We will not talk about this today. Second, what format do I want to write? Is it a scroll or nave? Here, the scroll and the nave are the names of the form of calligraphy works. Today, I organize the related knowledge of the nine common types of calligraphy works, mainly including scrolls, couplets, naves, Doufang, plaques, strips, fans, albums, and handscrolls. These are more traditional forms of calligraphy. I will also sort out a batch of more popular contemporary forms of calligraphy. I hope everyone has to help.

1. Scroll: Use long Xuan paper to open, and a half (half or half-fold), and the works in the straight script are the scrolls.

The scroll is a long work written in vertical lines. The size is generally a whole piece of Xuan paper cut. When arranging the rules and regulations, they should be able to conceive carefully according to the characteristics of the script and have new ideas. When creating, pay attention to the primary and secondary relationship between the main text and the signature. The signature should be patchy, natural, and vivid. The signature can write below the bottom line of the article, and there should be room for a layout. The bottom of the paragraph is generally not flush with the body to avoid rigid form. It can also occupy another line or two lines after the text, and the top and bottom should not be flush with the article. The seal should be smaller than the type, and the stamp must generally leave more than one word, or it can place on the left side of this.

There are two usual formats for banners:

One is writing in two or three lines. Two-line format: Write on the left and right sides of the paper, leaving more spaces in the middle. Pay attention to the rhythm of the upper and lower worlds and the echoes between the two lines. The signature usually writes at the end of the second line, and the position should be slightly higher than the last word of the first line. The signature can write in one or two lines. In the three-line format, pay attention to the interrelationship between the three lines, interspersed with tapes and rhythm changes. The inscription can be at the bottom of the last line, which is slightly higher than the one or two lines of the main text; it can also write separately, and the signature should be shorter than the main text and should not be parallel to the main text.

The other is to write a line in the center (fewer words). The written content is generally a saying, aphorism, or a poem, etc. The number of characters is small, so pay attention to the opening and closing of the characters, and the rhythm changes when writing, to be vivid. The signature can divide into single or double. The simple signature generally writes in the middle of the left side. The content of the signature includes the writing time, the author's name, or only the author's name or number. The seal places under the paragraph, and generally, two sides are appropriate, and the distance between the seals suitably separate. In the double section, the last part writes ten in the upper middle part of the right side of the work.

2. Couplets: Two folio scrolls, written in upper and lower couplets, also known as couplets, pairs, or couplets.

The couplet that named after the Ying-chu hanging in the hall of the building in ancient times. It is a kind of antithetical literature, which originated from the Tao Fu. It is a sentence written on paper, cloth, or carved on bamboo, wood, or pillars. The language is simple and profound, the contrast is neat, the flat and coordinated, the number of words is the same, and the structure is the same. It is a unique art form of the Chinese language.

The couplet divides into upper and lower couplets, the upper couplet on the right hand, and the lower couplet on the left. The size of the upper and lower links can be the same as the banner.  Or larger or smaller than scroll. The rules for the writing content of couplets are strict.

The pair signatures are at the end of the upper and lower pages, and the signatures are slightly higher than the bottom of the article. The position of upper and lower joint characters should generally be parallel. Deal with the size of the upper and lower worlds, the changes in retracting and unfolding, and the echoes between the upper and lower joints make the upper and lower joints become a whole.

The signatures of couplets below the cross divide into upper and lower paragraphs and single paragraphs. In the Upper and lower signatures, the upper signature writes on the right side of the upper line, and the next signature writs on the left side of the lower line.

The above signature generally writes the author and title of the verse, such as "Huang Tingjian Deng Kuaige Poem," the next paragraph, the name and number of the writer, and the writing location and time. For example, if "Book of Bingzixiantang in Beijing" is a donation work, the Shanglian must state the name or number of the recipient, title, and words such as Yazheng, Huicun, and Qingshou. For example, if "Ms. Wenying Hui Cun" is a work that someone asks you to write, the Shanglian will write the name or mark of the person who asked you to be the writer and add the words "testimony" to the title.

The single signature generally writes in the upper-middle position on the left side of the lower line. The content of the signature includes the writing time, the author's name, or only the author's name or mark. The seal place under the paragraph, generally, two sides are appropriate, and the distance between the seals is suitably separated.