Having studied how to hold and wield the
brush and how to write the basic strokes, our next step is to study
the structure of Chinese characters-arrangement, rational layout
and formation of beautiful style. In architecture you need building
materials, component parts, a building design, etc., in order to
construct a high-rise building, a big hall or a palace. You must
study the overall layout and the structure of different parts in
the interior of the building. You must study its location and architectural
style in the entire city as well. The same is true of handwriting.
To study beautiful handwriting, you must study the arrangement of
individual strokes-the structure. At the same time you must study
the form of the whole character. The position and function of each
character in calligraphy are its presentation.
Since ancient times Chinese calligra-phers have laid stress on the
rules of structure. Many writings have appeared on the subject.
Each has its strong points. I shall give you a rough idea from my
personal experience in handwriting. There are five essential points:
pingzheng, yunchen, rangjiu, xietiao and bianhua.
Pingzheng
This term means the dash, or horizontal
stroke, must be level, or flat, and the perpendicular downstroke
must be exactly upright. This is the basic principle in word structure.
To achieve this end, it is important to know the center of gravity
of the character. If the center of gravity is balanced and steady,
the form of the character can easily become pingzheng.
In the characters  ,
 , ,
the perpendicular stroke is the center of gravity. If you write
this stroke well and place it in a suitable place, the center of
gravity will be balanced and steady. The viewer will get a sense
of balance from the character. Some characters are not balanced.
They gravitate to one side, as in ,  ,  , .Yet there is
still a center ot gravity in each character. When you write it,
the center of each character should be balanced. The strokes may
lean to one side, yet the center is still balanced. The character
consists of
two  , one placed above the other. The strokes tend
to lean to one side, but the axis is the same. Take the character
, for example. No stroke is exactly in the middle,
but the short vertical stroke forms the center of gravity. The calligrapher
Sun Quoting (c 648-c 703) once remarked that in studying layout
the beginner should aim at ping-zheng. Pingzheng is crucial in word
structure.
Yunchen
This refers to the suitable arrangement
of complicated and simple strokes, fat and lean strokes and long
and short strokes in the same character. The suitable arrangement
of these strokes gives one a sense of good balance and fine proportion.
Take, for example, the characters
, , ,  .
Each character has few strokes. You have to use heavy strokes and
spread them out a bit. The characters  ,
 have many strokes. The structure must be compact.
The shape of the character must be slender and vigorous.
In the characters  and  you
find a repetition of horizontal and vertical strokes, three horizontal
strokes in . and four vertical
strokes in . The distance
between strokes is more or less the same. The long and short strokes
are mixed. In writing the first stroke
must be heavy. The length of the stroke is in between. The second
stroke must be short. The third stroke should be the longest, but
thinner.
The Chinese term yunchen means well proportioned. The arrangement
of long and short or large and small strokes gives the viewer a
sense of harmony. This calls for a suitable arrangement of fat and
lean strokes. The complicated and simple strokes must be well proportioned.
Yunchen is the second important principle of word structure in the
Chinese language.
Rangjiu
This refers to structural arrangement
of the character. When you find an incongruity between left and
right, top and bottom, large and small, tall and short, etc., you
must try to make the part that is out of place with the rest less
incongruous. Draw a distinction between the principal stroke and
the subordinate stroke and harmonize them.
In characters such as , , ,
the left side is taller than the right. Make the left side no more
conspicuous than the right side.
In the characters  , ,
 the right side is taller than the left. Make
the right side no more conspicuous than the left.
In the characters  , , , the
left side is more complicated and larger than the right side. Make
the left side no more conspicuous than the right.
In the characters  ,  ,
 ,  and similar
characters that tend to be onesided, the right side is complicated
and the left side is simple. The right side is full. Make the right
no more conspicuous than the left.
The same is true of top and bottom. Making the sides match is another
principle in the structure of Chinese characters!
Xietiao
This term refers to harmony between
thick and thin strokes, long and short strokes, and fat and slender
strokes. It also refers to harmony in the same character between
complicated and simple parts, tall and short parts, left and right
parts and top and bottom parts. As in yunchen and rangjiu, the aim
is harmony. Between different characters placed together there is
also a question of harmony. One character may have only one stroke.
The next character may have twenty to thirty strokes. Harmony between
these neighboring characters must be considered. There must be harmony
between characters with complicated strokes and characters with
simple strokes. Consideration of this sort is beyond the realm of
character structure. It is a matter of calligraphic layout and comes
under the heading of presentation.
Next we come to the question of relationship of one stroke to another.
Take, for instance, the characters  , , ,  . There are
two dots in the first character . There are
three dots and one left-falling stroke in . There are
four dots in and three dots
on the left side of the character . Between the
dots and other strokes there is the question of relationship. In
the two dots
must relate to one another. In the character the
three dots and one left-falling stroke should relate to each other
and form an integrated character. In the characters  and  the
strokes face opposite directions. The short horizontal strokes on
the left and right sides of , and the short
horizontal strokes on the left and right sides of must relate to one another and become a harmonious
unit. They are by no means unrelated. If we pay attention to structure
and to the relationship of one stroke to another, we shall produce
a harmonious atmosphere among the characters.
Bianhua
This term refers to flexibility in following
the rules of calligraphy. For example, the character  is made up of
two similar parts:  and .
However, because it is not suitable to write a right-falling stroke
on the left-hand , it is written
instead as a dot. The character  . has three
right-falling strokes. If we write them as such, the character will
not look nice. The writer uses a right-falling stroke only in the
last . Dots are
used to write the other two . Characters
that have in the lower
part of their structure, such as  ,
, , replace the left- and right-falling strokes
with two dots, left and right. This is flexibility, or bianhua,
to make an appropriate change.
If the same character appears many times in one essay, a change
is called for. Calligrapher Wang Xizhi wrote  .
twenty times in his preface to the Orchid Pavilion. Each time the
character differs somewhat. This requires delicate skill. The master
calligrapher tackled his task with great success. Bianhua in writting
the same character appearing frequently in a piece of article is
not a question of character structure, so the beginner is not required
to make so many changes. Here I wish to emphasize only the importance
of Bianhua. It is important to follow rules in calligraphy, but,
more importantly, in following rules one must be flexible and not
dogmatic. The ancient Chinese used to say a great master in calligraphy
can teach people the rules of calligraphy, but he cannot make people
skillful calligraphers.
Chinese calligraphers caution against three things. In learning
arrangement, beginners are forbidden to write unbalanced or lopsided
characters. In learning rules and regulations, learners are not
allowed to be stereotyped or stagnant. Even when learners become
mature calligraphers, they are forbidden to behave like raving maniacs
or to adopt a vulgar style. The author of this booklet hope those
who read it must exercise caution in learning. Remember: Follow
the rules, but be flexible.
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