Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

TECHNIQUE

stroke. It is particularly important that the brush should be held in the fingers and away from the palm, otherwise, as in Fig. 93, where the palm is pressed against the handle, it is impossible to produce the stroke intended, all the strength being concentrated in the palm and never reach-

ing the brush’s tip.

There are also some points to remember about the positions of wrist, elbow, and arm. As the brush has to be exactly vertical, the wrist must 5 be held level; that is to say, the small bone on z the outer side of the wrist must not incline towards the table or support. This enables the writer to exercise control over the brush with fingers and wrist simultaneously. The effect is very remarkable. The extreme tip of the brush describes the central part of each stroke, and the stroke or character produced is ‘full of blood and rigid muscles’. I shall explain such special terms as this later. For the present purpose I can think of no English equivalent that is more expressive than the literal translation. The writer Chu Chiu-Chiang is frequently quoted on the subject of brush handling. His saying: Hsii-Chuan (iit 4), Shih-Chih (& 48), Pting-Wan (4 Wi), Shu-feng (2 %), means roughly: ‘Empty the fist, make the fingers firm, level the wrist, keep the brush upright.’ These are the four fundamental rules to be observed by the student when practising.

The size of the characters to be written governs to some extent the position of the wrist. The normal position, which is called P‘ing-Wan (48 Iii), Level Wrist, and is used for most practical purposes, is illustrated in Fig. 94. Greater freedom

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FIG. 93