Writing Styles

The five writing styles still used today : illustration with the character 雲 “yun” which means cloud. In simplified Pinyin yun is written 云


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The Seal

The seal (篆书 zhuanshu), close to the design, which was engraved on the scales of turtles and the bones of buffaloes and which is still used in the engraving of seals

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Bai Yun Seal

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Wu Xizai (1799-1870)
Fac-similé de la calligraphie de Wanbai Shanren
Rouleau sur papier
39,8 x 122,7 cm


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Regular

The regular (楷书 kaishu) easy to learn and read, it is the model writing and is used daily

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Shen Du (1357-1434)
"Quatre devises"
Beijing, Palace Museum


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The Current

The current (行书xingshu) of common use, of faster execution it can be more or less linked

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Ruan Yuan (1764-1849)
Diptyque antithétique de 7 caractères
29 x 125 cm


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Chancery

The chancery or scribes script (隶书 lishu) creating a simpler and faster graphical language

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Jin Nong (1687-1764)
Poème dédicacé à la peinture
35 x 96,8 cm
Shanghai, Museum


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The Cursive

The cursive (草书 caoshu) greater freedom of execution and connection sometimes by large strides as a kind of continuous dance. To be able to read it, you have to have practiced it

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Huang Tingjian (1045-1105)
Poème de Du Fu à He Lanxian
34,7 x 69,6 cm
Beijing, Palace Museum

Bibliography

- L’art chinois de l’écriture, Jean-François Billeter, Seuil Editions, 2001
- Vide et Plein, François Cheng, Seuil Editions, 2021
- Paysage d’hiver, Christine Jordis, Albin Michel Editions, 2016
- Le Trésor des Lettrés, Lucien X. Polastron, Imprimerie nationale Editions, 2010
- Calligraphie chinoise, Lucien X. Polastron, Imprimerie nationale Editions, 2011