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In ancient times, although banner calligraphy was widely used and there were many famous calligraphers who were good at this style of calligraphy, there were not many theories that discussed the artistic rules of banner calligraphy.

1. Writing

The way to hold a pen in calligraphy has been a hotly discussed topic since ancient times. Since calligraphy creation has become aesthetically conscious, calligraphers have studied this issue from many aspects. A good way to hold a pen will undoubtedly help calligraphers to write freely and enjoyably. The same is true for banner calligraphy. Since the Tang Dynasty, some calligraphy theorists have studied the way to hold a pen in banner calligraphy. There are roughly three types:

1. Pipe holding method

The pen-holding method is to hold the pen with the middle section of the index finger to the little finger and the thumb together, that is, to hold the pen in the palm with a fist. The first person who mentioned the pen-holding method was Han Fangming of the Tang Dynasty. In his "Essentials of Teaching Writing", he said: "The fourth pen-holding method is to hold the pen in the palm with the fist, and use the elbow to assist in writing. Some say that it originated from Zhuge Dan, who wrote against a pillar, and the pillar cracked with thunder, but he did not stop writing. He should use strong energy and hold the pen in this way when writing. It is not used by calligraphers. Later, Wang Sengqian used this method because he was different from others, not his original method. Recently, Zhang Congshen, a doctor, did it in a clumsy way, which was laughed at by the world." Chen Yiceng of the Yuan Dynasty also supplemented the pen-holding method. He said: "Hold the pen, hold the pen with the middle section of the four fingers, calmly and powerfully, and write edicts and memorials. It can be seen that the pen-holding method is used for writing "banners". Its advantage is that the pen is firmly held, and the use of the elbow can achieve a strong stroke effect. But there are also shortcomings. Since the five fingers are tightly clenched and cannot move, this method can only be used to move the wrist and elbow, but not the fingers. However, finger movement is the best way to express the style, posture and subtle changes of the strokes. Without the finger movement method, the strokes of hitting, grabbing, lifting, pressing, frustrating, stopping and squatting will appear very stiff, and it is also difficult to adjust the pen tip and change the rhythm of the strokes. Therefore, although the banner calligraphy written by the pen holding method is very powerful, it often has the problems of struggling, rigidity and stiffness. Han Fangming believes that this method "is not used by calligraphers" is also from this perspective.

2. Pinching method

The pinching pen method is a method of holding the pen with five fingers together at the end of the pen tube. Han Fangming was the first to mention this method. In his "Essentials of Teaching Writing", he said: "The third pinching pen method is to pinch the end of the pen tube with five fingers. It is only used for large cursive writing or painting and scrolls, and it is the same as holding a clumsy pen." Although Han Fangming proposed the pinching pen method, he did not explain how to pinch the end of the pen tube with five fingers. Is it to gather the five fingers together like grabbing an object, or is there another method. Chen Yiceng gave a clear explanation. He said: "Pinching the pen, pinching the tip of the pen tube with the stirrup finger method, is suitable for large cursive writing, especially for writing on the wall."* It can be seen that the pinching pen method is mainly used for large cursive writing. Because the pen is held higher and the five fingers are used, its advantage is that the elbow, wrist and finger movements are relatively flexible, which is conducive to vertical and horizontal writing and left and right momentum. 's'However, since the fingers are far from the pen tip, if a weak pen is used, it is not easy for the weak to transfer the strength of the arm, wrist and finger to the pen tip, and sometimes the pen loses control. Therefore, unless the arm, wrist and finger strength are strong, it is difficult for ordinary people to use the pinching pen method well.

3. Lifting method

The lifting method is a special method of holding a brush. The method of holding a brush is roughly similar to the pinching method, but the size of the brush is slightly different. For example, Ge Shouzhi of the Qing Dynasty said in "Hanxi Calligraphy General Explanation? Holding the Brush Zheng II": "Han Fangming said: 'Lifting the brush and moving the elbow is the method of writing on a plaque, which is roughly the same as pinching the brush. If the brush is large, use one finger to push it back, and if it is small, use two fingers to push it back.' The method is easy to follow but difficult to go against, so it is necessary to push it back."

The above are three methods of holding a pen for banner calligraphy recorded in ancient books. From these three methods, we can see the two major requirements of the ancients for holding a pen for banner calligraphy: first, strong arm, wrist and finger strength, which can penetrate the back of the paper; second, the movement of the elbow, wrist and fingers must be coordinated, so that the open momentum, solid strokes and rich brushwork of the banner calligraphy can be expressed.

Of course, it is not necessary to use the pen holding method, the pen pinching method, and the pen lifting method when writing banner calligraphy. As long as the above two requirements are met, the method itself should be very flexible. Mr. Qi Gong once said that the naturalness of calligraphy comes from the naturalness of the pen holding method. Holding a pen is the same as holding chopsticks. When holding chopsticks, it is enough to pick up things as desired, and when holding a pen, it is enough to draw freely on paper as one wills.

2. Use a pen

A successful banner calligraphy work must have a sophisticated brushwork method. From the historical banner calligraphy works, the brushwork methods before the Tang Dynasty and after the Tang Dynasty were different. Bao Shichen once said: As for the inscriptions on the stele, they were originally written by the same person. Since the size is different, the brushwork is suddenly different. Later generations were fascinated by the collection of calligraphy, so there is a fallacy that "Huang Ting" and "Yue Yi" are displayed as a square abbot. Since the Tang Dynasty, there has been no good banner calligraphy.

It can be seen that before the Tang Dynasty, the brushwork used for writing large characters on steles and small characters was different. However, after the Tang Dynasty, calligraphers took "Ge Tie" as the ancestor of calligraphy, so they used the methods of writing "Huang Ting" and "Yue Yi" to write banners, which was naturally difficult to understand. In historical books, we can also find historical examples of different brushwork for writing large characters on steles and small characters in regular script before the Tang Dynasty. According to "Zhou Shu" Volume 47 "Biography of Zhao Wenshen", it is recorded: Wenshen learned regular script and official script when he was young... He was elegant and had the style of Zhong and Wang, and his brushwork was impressive. At that time, there were only Wenshen and Ji beside the stele. ... After the pacification of Jiangling, Wang Bao entered the pass, and Guiyou and others all learned Bao's calligraphy. Wenshen's calligraphy was abandoned. Wenshen was ashamed and resentful, and his face showed it. Later, he realized that it was still difficult to turn back, so he also studied Bao's calligraphy, but he did not achieve anything, and was ridiculed and said that he was learning to walk in Handan. As for steles and plaques, no one could catch up with him. Wang Bao also always pushed him ahead. The palaces and pavilions are all his traces. He was promoted to the rank of county earl and lower official, and was given the title of Yitong Sansi. Emperor Shizong ordered him to write the "Gyeongbok Temple Stele" in Jiangling, and people in Hannan also thought it was a good work. Liang Lord Xiao admired it and rewarded him generously. In the first year of Tianhe, Luqin and other buildings were first completed. Wenshen was given an additional 200 households for his contribution in writing the stele, and was appointed as the governor of Zhaoxing County. Although Wenshen was assigned to a post outside the capital, he would always come back to write the stele whenever he was needed.

In view of this, in the discussion of the brushwork and momentum techniques of banner calligraphy below, we will use the banner calligraphy of the Northern and Southern Dynasties as an example.

1. Solid brushwork

Kang Youwei once said: "When writing banner calligraphy, the brush and ink must be graceful, and quiet and simple is the best, and powerful, profound, elegant and vigorous is the second." Whether quiet or vigorous, they actually emphasize a kind of force. This force is filled in the strokes, and the strokes have life and vitality. From the external form, the strokes with a sense of force are elastic and tough, rather than dry and flat. Bao Shichen once said in "Yizhou Shuangji" that when appreciating large characters, one should enjoy "the middle of the strokes". Why did Bao Shichen put forward such a view? The reason is that the excellent banner calligraphy works have a solid brushstroke, giving people a huge tension. This tension goes deep into the strokes, so the strokes have a three-dimensional sense and elasticity. If we compare "On Scriptures and Poems" (Figure 2) and the relatively poor banner calligraphy (Figure 3), we will find that although the strokes of the former are thinner, the internal force in them is as strong as steel; although the strokes of the latter are fat, the sense of force is very light. So how can we make the strokes full of internal force? We believe that we should focus on the following two aspects.

(1) Straight pipe

The so-called straight pen tube refers to the straight pen tube when writing, so that the arm strength, wrist strength and finger strength will be fully reflected on the pen tip and rice paper, and the written words will be vigorous. Wang Sengqian, a calligrapher in the Southern Dynasties, believed that "the heart is round and the pen tube is straight" is the key to calligraphy. So, why can only the straight pen tube transfer the arm strength, wrist strength and finger strength to the pen tip and rice paper to the maximum extent? This is related to the structure of the pen tip. The pen tip consists of the main tip and the secondary hair wrapped around the main tip. The main tip is the foundation of the pen tip. The main tip is used vigorously, and the words written can be vigorous. The so-called "center tip to get strength" is this principle. Chen Yiceng listed a section on "bone method" in "Hanlin Essentials", believing that the words should have bone strength, and the method of squatting and lifting the main tip should be adopted. The secondary hair mainly plays the role of storing ink and water. If you are good at regulating ink and water, the words will have a unique style. Therefore, the predecessors paid attention to "side tip to get beauty". In order to make the main tip powerful, the straight pen tube is the best method. For example, when old people use walking sticks, they always drop the brush straight to the ground. Why? It is so that the tip of the stick can hit the ground firmly and not lose strength and slip. Some people write without strength because they cannot drop the brush straight, and they just swipe the brush left and right, thinking that this will give them style. Little do they know that this is precisely because they have lost the fundamental emphasis on strength in ancient Chinese calligraphy. Of course, some ancient people also viewed the issue of dropping the brush straight in a rigid way. They believed that only by using the center of the brush can the strokes be solid, and the so-called "center of the brush" must be smooth and the tip of the brush must be in the center of the stroke. In fact, as long as the brush is dropped straight, the force can drop straight to the end of the paper, and we don't need to worry about whether the shape of the brush hair is smooth or twisted. In this way, the force contained in the stroke is dynamic, lively and full of changes, rather than a rigid and unchanging force.

(2) Astringency and irritability

In order to make the strokes solid and vivid, in addition to the straight pen, the speed of the brush is also a key. Too smooth and too fast brushstrokes are not conducive to making the brush settle down. On the contrary, too dry and too slow brushstrokes will not make the force in the strokes vivid. So, how can we handle the relationship between dryness and speed? We should fully appreciate the resistance when writing. Liu Xizai said in "Art Outline": "Those who use brushes are familiar with the saying of dry brushes, but they don't know how to get dry. Only when the brush wants to move, if there is something to resist it, it will struggle with it with all its strength, and it will be dry without expecting it." This struggle and strength with the resisting force well illustrates the strength characteristics of dry brushes and the flexibility and vividness of brushstrokes.

Shen Yinmo also has a good explanation of this method of using the brush to express speed through sluggishness. He said: The action of sluggishness does not mean stagnation, but the ink should be retained. Retaining does not mean not moving forward, but it is necessary to move forward quickly and urgently. The word "fight" is still interpreted as fighting. The action of fighting is to move forward cautiously and vigorously, not without obstacles.

It can be seen that in order to make the strokes powerful and vivid, the key is to use a method of writing that combines speed with roughness.

2. Captivating square and round brushstrokes

In addition to the solidity of the brush, an excellent work of banner calligraphy must also use some special brush-holding methods to make it shine. Due to the limited space, the main points are discussed here, mainly the square and round brush-holding methods (Kang Youwei divided banner calligraphy into square and round brush-holding methods). Other related brush-holding methods will be mentioned with emphasis in these two brush-holding methods.

(1) Square strokes

Mi Fu once made a comment in Haiyue Mingyan, saying: Lao Du wrote in Xue Ji Huixi Temple Stele: "The three characters yuyu are like dragons entangled with each other." Now we can see the stone copy, which is drawn with the tip of the brush reversed, and each stroke is like a steamed bun. The character "pu" is like a man holding his fists and stretching his arms, which is ugly and strange. From this point of view, it is clear that there were no real big characters in ancient times.

The so-called "outline and reverse the tip of the brush" means that the tip of the brush is hidden in every stroke. It is precisely because of this that the three characters "Hui Pu Temple" have no spirit at all, and "every stroke is like a steamed bun". In fact, before the Tang Dynasty, the ancients paid great attention to the tip of the brush when writing. For example, the first calligraphy theory in the history of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory that specifically talks about techniques, Emperor Wu of Liang's "Twelve Thoughts on Zhong Yao's Calligraphy", said: "The tip is the end." In addition, Emperor Wu of Liang also said in "Answering Tao Yinju's Letter on Calligraphy", "If the brush is used crookedly, there will be no sharp corners" and "The edges are sharp and full of vitality." It can be seen that in order to make the work full of vitality, it is very important to have "sharp edges" at the beginning and end of the strokes. If we compare Zheng Daozhao's "Baijuma Valley Inscription" (Figure 4), which was praised by Kang Youwei as a representative work of square-stroke banner calligraphy, and the "steamed bun" type banner calligraphy (Figure 5) that specializes in the back and hiding of strokes, we can find that the former has strong brushstrokes and vitality, while the latter has clumsy strokes and no vitality.

So, how can we make the strokes sharp and natural? We think there are two keys: First, use the method of cutting and striking with a strong and straight tip to start the stroke (such as the left dot of the character "谷", the vertical stroke and the fold of the character "中", and the two horizontal strokes below the character "生"). When finishing the stroke, use the method of combining folding and breaking, or the method of combining folding and turning (the horizontal stroke of the character "生"), or the method of lifting the tip and grabbing (the horizontal stroke of the character "谷" and the vertical stroke of the character "中"). Some people may ask: If the strokes are started with the "strong and straight tip cutting and folding method", will the strokes appear thin and light? We think the key lies in how the writer uses it. If the strokes are solid and the folding tip is strong, this problem will not occur. '皿 As for finishing the strokes, as long as the "combination of folding and turning" and the "lifting tip and grabbing method" are used, the sharpness of the strokes can be maintained, and the brushstrokes can be kept steady, and there is an effect of combining style and implicitness. Secondly, in order to prevent the sharpness of the strokes from being too obvious, we can use the method of combining turning and folding when writing, but we must pay attention to the natural transition of the turning and folding strokes, which should be completed in an instant through the rotation of the fingers and wrists (such as the right dot of the word "谷"). Kang Youwei commented on Zheng Daozhao's "Baiju Valley Inscription" in "Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji? Bang Shu No. 24": "The turning points and strokes are all made up of several strokes. If the learner is not good at learning, he will suffer from stiffness and lack of energy." This is what he is talking about.

(2) Round pen

Kang Youwei said in Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji, Chapter 24:

There are also square and round strokes in banner calligraphy, which are also derived from Zhong (Yao) and Wei (Ji). "Jingshiyu" is written in round strokes, while "Baijugu" is written in square strokes. However, I consider "Jingshiyu" to be the best, and its style is similar to "Zheng Wengong", with the feeling of cursive and the rhyme of seal script, which is all-encompassing, majestic and ancient. It is especially difficult to get it in banner calligraphy, "Guanhai Shi". If you look down at the calligraphy of Lu Gong's "Zuguan", "Xiaoyaolou", Li Beihai's "Jingfu", Wu Ju's "Tianxia Diyishan" and so on, it is no different from the Tushita heaven looking at the sand Dharma sentient beings, how can there be a distance between them!

It can be seen that Kang Youwei believed that the best brush for banner calligraphy should be a round brush, which has the aesthetic effects of "cursive feeling and seal rhyme" and "majestic and ancient". Because the strokes are thick, it can give the audience a sense of antiquity. So, how can we express this ancient and thick brushwork in actual writing? If we blindly use the return tip and hidden tip, it is easy to fall into the ugly state of "every stroke is like a steamed bun" as described by Mi Fu. Is there any other way? In fact, this problem is not difficult to solve. The so-called "round" refers to roundness. In order to achieve this effect, in addition to the appropriate use of the return tip and hidden tip, there are some brushwork that can keep the brushwork round and full, while not losing majesty and vividness. Here are a few examples:

First, empty reverse.

The solid reverse method can easily make the tip of the brush circle in the same place, resulting in clumsy strokes. If the empty reverse method is used instead, the tip of the brush can be flexible and free, while retaining a "retaining" reverse momentum in the brushstrokes. The key to its application is to move the wrist flexibly.

Second, squatting and standing

The strokes written by using the reverse and return strokes are not able to retain the style of the brush. If the squatting and stopping methods are used instead, this problem can be overcome. Because the squatting and stopping methods will not change the general shape of the brush tip to a large extent, on the contrary, the squatting and stopping methods can add thickness to the strokes. Comparing the starting strokes of the character "食" in the "Taishan Diamond Sutra" (Figure 6) and the "凤" character in the "攀龙附凤" (Figure 7) written by a Ming Dynasty person under the name of Yu Shinan, we can see that the character "食" is round, thick and flexible, while the character "凤" is clumsy and dull, lacking a kind of spirit. The key to application is to grasp the degree of depth of the tip.

Third, epistaxis

In addition to squatting and stopping, "rubbing" is also a good method for starting and ending strokes. Zhang Huaijin's "Yutang Forbidden Scripture" says: "Rubbing the tip of the brush, stopping the tip of the brush and rubbing it secretly." Chen Yiceng's "Hanlin Essentials" says: "(Rubbing) three-thirds and shaking the brush to kill the power." It also says: "Rubbing to make it round." It can be seen that the so-called "rubbing" refers to rubbing the tip of the brush back and forth when starting and ending, so as to achieve a kind of ink and water effect, and the strokes are round, thick and elegant. The key to using it is to swing the wrist flexibly and control the strength of the stroke freely.

Fourth, the method of transfer.

When bending the brush, using a square-bending technique can make the brushwork square, rugged and strong, and the spirit can be revealed. If a round-turning technique is used, the brushwork can be round and flexible. This is what Kang Youwei called "the feeling of cursive script and the charm of seal script". The so-called "cursive script" means that the brushwork is flexible and not rigid; the so-called "charm charm" means that the brushwork is smooth and not stagnant. We can see the beauty of the brush by comparing the folding of "Baijugu Inscription" (Figure 8) and "Taishan Diamond Sutra" (Figure 9). The key to the use of the turning method is to be flexible in the fingers and wrists, and never be obsessed with the so-called "center point method" of the ancients.

The above-mentioned several main methods of using the brush for banner calligraphy are actually very flexible when it comes to using them. The so-called "follow the circumstances as they arise" and "know the cold and the warmth by yourself" are all about being skilled and letting your ideas flow from your heart.

3. Taking Advantage

The charm of banner calligraphy lies in its momentum, and the expression of momentum is related to the use of the brush and the momentum of the characters. Regarding the momentum, Kang Youwei once said in "Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji? Banner Calligraphy No. 24":

When writing on a banner, the brushwork must be graceful, and quiet and simple is the best, followed by majestic, profound, elegant and vigorous. If you intend to create momentum, you are just a fool. Those who cannot write do not create momentum when writing on a banner, which is really a sign that they cannot cover up their shortcomings. What Changli said about "the martial arts and the wicked create momentum" is just despicable. Looking at "Jingshiyu" and "The Divine Road of Emperor Taizu Wen", if you look at the Taoists, they are subtle and round, they have the world but do not take it, their skin is as white as ice and snow, they are graceful like a virgin, their temperament is solemn, they lower their eyebrows and clasp their hands, they are naturally noble, how can they have time to squint like a Vajra?

Kang's "quiet and simple" refers to the "flat strokes with wide knots" method of taking the momentum, and "powerful, profound, elegant and vigorous" refers to the "oblique strokes with tight knots" method of taking the momentum. Of course, the "flat" in "flat strokes with wide knots" and the "oblique" in "oblique strokes with tight knots" are relative, and we don't need to go into the details of the degrees of "oblique" and "flat". The following is a brief discussion of the two methods of taking the momentum.

1. “Flat stroke and wide knot” method

According to the "Illustrated History of Chinese Calligraphy: Preface to Calligraphy of the Northern and Southern Dynasties" compiled by Sha Menghai, the "flat strokes and wide knots" method of taking momentum inherited the official script method and retained the official script meaning, so it pays more attention to plainness and breadth in layout. Through our observation of works of this style during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (such as "Taishan Diamond Sutra", "Four Mountains Cliff Carvings" in Figure 11, "On Scriptures and Poems" in Figure 12, etc.), we can find that this method of taking momentum has a stable structure and broad layout. Although it lacks ups and downs in momentum, from its plain and broad layout, the audience can indeed experience a kind of "quiet and simple" momentum.

2. “Oblique stroke and tight knot” method

The method of "slanting strokes and tight knots" emphasizes the compactness of the center of the structure and the steepness of the knots. Mr. Qi Gong said that when dealing with this type of method, the writer "often arranges the strokes naturally according to the structure of the character. For example, if there are more radicals, write them more densely. The strokes in a character are not evenly distributed to allow for running, and the dense parts are not allowed to leak air." Because the method of "slanting strokes and tight knots" is adopted, the center of gravity of a single character is generally upward, and the lower half of the character is often spacious and has a relatively solemn and stable posture (such as Zheng Daozhao's "Dongkan Stone Chamber Inscription" in Figure 13 and Zheng Daozhao's "Anqizi Inscription" in Figure 14). However, this method of taking momentum also has defects: because the structure of the character is arranged according to the momentum, there is a relative lack of flexible and winding connection between the components, and sometimes the overall momentum of the character is tilted and weightless in order to exaggerate the square and hard strokes.

The above is the author's superficial thinking on the rules of banner calligraphy. We believe that banner calligraphy is a very practical and flexible style of calligraphy, and its writing rules cannot be covered by a few methods, and the various rules are not rigid and inflexible. However, as a banner calligraphy researcher and learner, we must understand these major rules, otherwise the "banner calligraphy" we write will deviate from the fundamental principle of banner calligraphy art, which is the significance of this article. If there are any inappropriate parts, please point them out.

Banner writing is also called open-nest writing. How big a character should be to be considered banner writing? There is no specific rule. Generally speaking, characters on plaques are considered banner writing. One or two large characters written on a four-foot piece of rice paper is banner writing. In contrast, characters as big as a fingernail are called small regular script. In calligraphy, banner writing and small regular script are two extremes in terms of size and difficulty. This one is the most difficult to write. The difficulty lies in the two words "sparseness and density". As the saying goes, "big characters should be dense, and small characters should be sparse." Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty also said, "It is difficult to make big characters dense and without gaps; it is difficult to make small characters spacious and with surplus." It is precisely because of this difficulty that many calligraphy enthusiasts are reluctant to touch banner writing and small regular script. Especially banner writing; it is not only difficult to write, but also time-consuming, paper-consuming, and ink-consuming. There is a simple way to solve the "three costs" problem: do not pour out the ink after use each time, add clean water to mix it into gray. Then use a board brush to brush it on old newspapers. After the newspapers are dry, use a brush dipped in clean water to write on them. The newspaper is gray, while the words written with clean water are black. The gray and black are distinct and clearly visible. Use this method to pre-brush out a dozen sheets of newspapers for future use. Once you have time and are in the mood, you can spread the newspapers on the table and use a brush dipped in clean water to write on them. After writing on the first sheet, put it aside to dry, and then write on the second, third, and so on. When you finish writing on the last sheet, the first sheet will also be dry. At this time, you can start from the beginning and continue writing. After writing, let it dry, let it dry and then write again, repeating the cycle over and over again. You will never finish writing on a dozen sheets of newspapers. Isn't it a good way to save time, ink, and paper? If you are interested, you may want to give it a try.

If you practice calligraphy in this way and persist for a long time, you will be able to practice calligraphy well in the near future. When you feel confident, you can create calligraphy works on rice paper. The calligraphy written on the desk is too close to the eyes to tell whether the characters are good or bad, so you have to put it on the wall. As the saying goes, "People are afraid of going to bed, and characters are afraid of going to the wall." Once the characters are on the wall, people will see all the flaws of the characters from a distance. After knowing the flaws of the first one, write the second one. After writing the second one, put it on the wall again to look at it from a distance. If you find any flaws, modify it again. In this way, you can summarize and correct it repeatedly until you are satisfied.

After the calligraphy work is finished, the signature and seal should not be too small and should match the calligraphy. When stamping the red and white seals, the distance between the two seals should not be too close, at least two to three seals apart, so that it looks grand.

After talking about banner calligraphy, let's talk about small regular script. Small regular script is difficult to write. The difficulty lies in the fact that the small characters written should have the style and grace of large characters. They cannot be small and stingy, but should be generous and open. Practicing small regular script does not waste paper and ink like practicing banner calligraphy. You can use the waste paper after writing large characters to practice small regular script in the blank space. This is how we practiced calligraphy when we were young. At that time, when we were in composition class, we first made a draft with a pencil, and then copied it on the composition book with a brush in fine small regular script. When I first learned small regular script, my hand was not stable when holding the pen. In order to solve the problem of instability, I thought of a way to extend the little finger holding the pen and support it on the paper. In this way, my hand was much more stable. But I always felt a little awkward holding the pen this way. It was not casual to hold the pen. After a while, I retracted my little finger, and the hand holding the pen became stable unconsciously. And I was able to do it with ease and write freely.

The pens, ink and paper used for writing small calligraphy are very particular, especially the small calligraphy pens that are hard to buy. In the past, when I bought small calligraphy pens, I would buy more than a dozen at a time, and try them out one by one at home. If I could choose one or two of the dozen pens, I would consider them good. Even if it is a relatively good pen, it will not last long, and the nib will become forked and unusable. The difficulty in buying pens for writing small calligraphy is one of the reasons why people are reluctant to write small calligraphy.

There are two types of rice paper for writing small characters: raw and cooked. Some people like to use cooked rice paper, but I like to use raw rice paper. Although cooked rice paper is easier to use than raw rice paper, the small characters written on cooked rice paper always make people feel dry and not moist; raw rice paper is not the case. Although raw rice paper is difficult to use, the small characters written on it appear round and full. The difficult thing about raw rice paper is that it is easy to be covered with ink, and once the ink is covered, the whole character will be blurred.

There are two ways to prevent ink from spreading: the first is to pour the ink into the inkstone and use the inkstone once to increase the ink's viscosity, so that it will not spread easily when used again. The second way is to pour the ink into the inkstone and let it evaporate for a while before using it, which can also prevent ink from spreading.

When you first learn small regular script, you cannot freely express yourself according to your own writing habits. You should copy small regular script copybooks. There are many small regular script copybooks in history. My favorite ones are the following three: "Lingfei Jing" by Zhong Shaojing of the Tang Dynasty, "Ji An Biography" by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty, and "Zhen Shang Zhai Ming" by Wen Zhengming of the Ming Dynasty. It is very important to choose a copybook to learn small regular script. You can choose a copybook according to your own interests, practice it attentively, persevere, never tire of refinement, and never forget to practice it. You must not give up after a while. If you have little time, you can write two or three lines a day. Never stop. The most fearful thing about writing small regular script is interruption. If you stop for a period of time, you will not be so familiar with it when you write again. If you want to recover, you have to practice for a while.

Only after you have mastered the techniques of Xiao Kai, you can create works of Xiao Kai. The content of Xiao Kai is very wide, usually copying ancient poems and ancient texts. In order to ensure the neatness of the words and prevent missing words and typos, you must count the number of words in the content before you start writing. How many lines do you need to write? How many words should be written in each line? You must calculate them accurately in advance. Then use a piece of equal white paper to make a grid on it, and then use a fountain pen to copy the full text in the grid. Then cover it with rice paper, fix the position with a clip, and copy according to the handwriting through, so that you can be sure of it.

When writing regular script, one must be calm and free from any distractions. Once there is any external interference, one should stop writing immediately. Every stroke must be carefully done without any carelessness. Regular script is very picky. In a work of several hundred words, if there is a little flaw, it will immediately jump out at one's eyes, making one "disturbed" and very regretful. The requirements for regular script are very strict and mistakes are not allowed. Once there is a flaw, the whole work will be scrapped.

The layout of Xiaokai requires neatness. Start by writing the main text. It is best to put the title above the signature. The last line of the work cannot be written to the bottom, nor can it be left with only one or two words hanging on it. It is better to write half a line and leave half a line. It can be more or less than half a line. The signature should be written on a separate line. You can write: 右录ⅹⅹⅹ "书", because 录 and 书 have the same meaning and cannot be repeated. The seal of the author of Xiaokai also has requirements. The size of the seal should be similar to that of the Xiaokai. If the seal is too large, it will be difficult to match the whole work.

Xiaokai is the best of calligraphy, and calligraphers of all generations have pushed Xiaokai to the pinnacle of calligraphy. For example, Qian Yong, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty, said: "If a calligrapher is not proficient in Xiaokai, he cannot be called a calligrapher." I think that young calligraphy enthusiasts with lofty ambitions will strive to reach the pinnacle of Xiaokai after hearing Qian Yong's famous saying.

Finally, I would like to end this article with a sentence: Banner writing should be tight, otherwise it will be loose and lifeless; regular script should be broad, otherwise it will be rigid and not grand.

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