CHI 221-01: Calligraphy

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  1. Standard Script, or Kai-shu in Chinese.
    Almost without exception, beginning calligraphy students are first taught to learn this script. The Chinese name, Kai-shu, carries the meaning of "model writing".It first, appeared around the third century, and is believed to have derived from the "Clerical Script'.

 

 

  1. Clerical Script, or Li-shu in Chinese.
    A certain clerical Ch'eng Miao, who worked in the goverment of the Ch'in Dynasty (221 -206 B. c.), is believed to have created this script, which quickly nbecame popularduring subsequent dynasties. Its simplified forms and st rokes were thought to function especially well for record-keepers who had to deal with the daily administrative routines.
  1. Current Script, or hsing-shu in Chinese
    Sometimes also referred to as the "running script". The writing of this scripot requires essentially the same techniques as those of the standard script, but the emphasis on rapid brush movements render a kind of grace and expressiveness not usually associated with the standard script.
  1. Seal Script, or Chuan-shu in Chinese
    Official script during the Cho Dynasty (ca. 1200-250 B.c.), it is the olderst of all script still widely used. There are two types of Seal Script: the large seal script (Dar-chuan) and the small seal script (Hsiao-chuan).

 


Grinnell College | Chinese Department | page created by: Ming Yang | Last updated: May 10, 2002