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

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

of Chaucer! It is not an exaggeration to assert that a Chinese child of seven or eight years can read the ‘ Four Books’, Szu-shu (09 #)—the Confucian Classics—though these were written at least 2,400 years ago.

For purposes of learning, Chinese characters can be simply divided into six categories, one of which is so comprehensive that three-quarters of the characters fall into it. The structure very often gives a clue to the meaning, while a part of the character generally indicates the sound. With a knowledge of the basic elements of structure and of a few phonetic groups one has a very good chance of deciphering both the approximate meaning and the approximate sound of a great number of characters. If you know thoroughly the components of a hundred characters, you will probably be able to read and use a thousand! The best method of memorizing is to learn to write: for writing is simpler than conning. Once you can analyse the structure, and at the same time appreciate the beauty of the lines, you will have come to a real love of Chinese calligraphy for its own sake ; for the more you study the appearance of Chinese characters, the more you will enjoy writing them, and the more quickly you will remember their meaning and shape.

As I have already said, this book is not for sinologists but for readers who cannot interpret a single Chinese character. I hope to bring them into a simple appreciation of the beauty in the movement of strokes and the patterns of structures. I write also to help those who already love our painting to a better understanding of brush-work, to something more than the general feeling of a picture. I shall try to explain the

aesthetics of calligraphy as fully as possible, for that is the root [ 16]