Yi Ying Stele

Name: Yi Ying Stele
ISBN: 9787102074146

人民美术出版社People's Fine Arts Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

4.4

Word count: 108 words
Chapters: 7
ISBN: 9787102074146

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Summary

The Stele of Yi Ying, fully titled The Stele of Yi Ying, Chancellor of Lu in the Han Dynasty, Petitioning for the Establishment of a Bailess Zushi at the Confucius Temple, is also known as The Stele of the Bailess Kong Su Appointed to Guard the Confucius Temple. Erected in the first year of Yongxing under Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han (153 CE), it is now housed in the Han–Wei Stele Exhibition Hall of the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong. Together with the Stele of Li Qi and the Stele of Shi Chen, it is known as one of the "Three Steles of the Confucius Temple" and has long been valued by calligraphers of successive dynasties.

The stele is 181.3 cm high and 85.5 cm wide, with no titular heading. The inscription is in clerical script, in eighteen columns of up to forty characters each. It recounts how Situ Wu Xiong and Sikong Zhao Jie, acting on the earlier words of Yi Ying (courtesy name Shaoqing, a native of Gaotang in Pingyuan), then Chancellor of Lu, submitted a petition to establish at the Confucius Temple one bailess zushi to oversee the guarding of the temple and take charge of sacrificial ritual vessels. By the time the imperial approval was granted, Yi Ying had already left office; a later chancellor, in accordance with the edict, conducted examinations and selected one Kong Su for the post. Hence the stele is known historically as the Stele of Yi Ying. The final line of the inscription, in regular script, reads: "Written by Grand Commandant Zhong of the Later Han; transcribed from the design by Zhang Zhigui in the seventh year of Jiayou of the Song." A chronological examination of Zhong You shows this attribution to be a later forgery beyond doubt. The stele is a typical representative of the mature phase of Han clerical script, belonging to the square and regular line. Its characters are expansive in momentum,古朴浑厚, with varied rises and falls and distinct front-and-back orientations. The structure is square and regular, bone and flesh well balanced, with rigorous rules; the brushwork combines square and round, and within the level and upright there is an air of elegance and refinement. Calligraphers of successive dynasties have praised this stele extensively: it is recorded in Zhao Mingcheng's Jinshi Lu of the Song, Guo Zongchang's Jinshi Shi of the Ming, Weng Fanggang's Lianghan Jinshi Ji and He Shaoji's Dongzhou Caotang Jinshi Lu of the Qing, among others. Weng Fanggang says in Lianghan Jinshi Ji: "Bone and flesh well proportioned, feeling and text flowing smoothly." Bao Shichen says in Yizhou Shuangji: "The clerical script of the Western Jin, as in the Taigong Wang Stele, is a direct heir of the Yi Ying method; its character structures are as free and expansive, while its spirit is more concentrated and orderly."

Editor's review

The Stele of Yi Ying is a typical representative of the square and regular line of mature Han clerical script. Together with the Stele of Li Qi and the Stele of Shi Chen, it is known as one of the "Three Steles of the Confucius Temple" and occupies a key position in the study of clerical script, marking the passage from rule-bound practice into deeper mastery. Its characters are expansive in momentum,古朴浑厚, with varied rises and falls and distinct front-and-back orientations; the structure is square and regular with bone and flesh well balanced, and the brushwork combines square and round, showing an air of elegance within the level and upright. It has long been valued by calligraphers. Weng Fanggang praised it as "bone and flesh well proportioned, feeling and text flowing smoothly," while Bao Shichen noted that the clerical script of the Western Jin, as in the Taigong Wang Stele, was its direct heir—evidence of its influence in the transmission of clerical script. This edition, published by People's Fine Arts Publishing House, draws on the tradition of stele-rubbing models for copying and is suitable as a desk reference for advanced clerical-script practice and for researchers of Han steles. Readers may both survey the inscription and the circumstances of the stele's erection to understand firsthand materials on the Eastern Han Confucius Temple system, and examine its structure and brushwork character by character to appreciate the combination of Han clerical rule and temperament. For readers who already have a basic grounding in clerical brushwork and wish to move from steles such as the Cao Quan and Shi Chen toward a more square and regular line, this stele is an excellent object of transition and deepening.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Calligraphy learners who have mastered basic clerical brushwork and wish to advance to copying Han steles
Students at calligraphy academies studying the structure and brushwork rules of the square and regular line of Han clerical script
Epigraphy enthusiasts interested in the Three Steles of the Confucius Temple and the institutional history of Eastern Han steles
Primary and secondary school calligraphy teachers in need of Han clerical models for classroom demonstration

Not a good fit for

Absolute beginners with no brush experience and no exposure to clerical brushwork
Readers who only want light story-based reading and have no interest in stele calligraphy
Pure text readers expecting modern Chinese translations and detailed annotations

Reading tips

First read through the inscription to understand why the stele was erected, then copy it line by line against the original, avoiding merely imitating shapes without understanding the text.
In copying, focus on its square structure and brushwork combining square and round, and compare it with the Stele of Li Qi.
It is advisable to copy in stages following the original column layout, carefully copying a few columns each time, with emphasis on grasping the opening and closing of character momentum and front-and-back relations.
Beyond copying, consult comments by Weng Fanggang, Bao Shichen, and other critics of successive dynasties to deepen understanding of the stele's stylistic position.

About the publisher

People's Fine Arts Publishing House China · Founded in 1951

People's Fine Arts Publishing House focuses on professional art publishing, educational publishing, and lianhuanhua (Chinese picture-story books). Its 429 titles in the catalog span art theory, literary appreciation, and calligraphy rubbings. Representative publications include the Renmei Shupu series, which presents historical rubbings such as the Eastern Han clerical-script steles Li Qi Bei, Cao Quan Bei, and Yi Ying Bei, along with Northern Song Mi Fu's Shu Su Tie and Tiaoxi Shi Tie and Tang Lu Jianzhi's Wen Fu. Qi Baishi's Art of Painting (4 volumes) and Chen Chuanxi's History of Chinese Landscape Painting (2 volumes) reflect its strength in painting research and art-historical compilation. Alongside Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua, its authors include scholars and artists such as Hua Rende, Sun Xiaoyun, Lou Shibai, and Lou Shude, giving the press a publishing profile that balances calligraphy rubbings, painting art, and art history and theory.

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FAQ

To which stylistic line of Han clerical script does the Stele of Yi Ying belong?

It belongs to the square and regular line of mature Han clerical script: its characters are expansive in momentum,古朴浑厚, square and regular in structure, with bone and flesh well balanced, rigorous rules, and brushwork combining square and round, showing an air of elegance within the level and upright. Together with the Stele of Li Qi and the Stele of Shi Chen, it is known as one of the Three Steles of the Confucius Temple.

Is the note at the end of the stele, "Written by Grand Commandant Zhong of the Later Han," credible?

No. The regular-script note on the final line claims "Written by Grand Commandant Zhong of the Later Han; transcribed from the design by Zhang Zhigui in the seventh year of Jiayou of the Song," but a chronological examination of Zhong You shows this to be a later forgery. The source material states this explicitly; readers should not conclude on this basis that Zhong You was the calligrapher.

At what stage of clerical-script study is it appropriate to copy the Stele of Yi Ying?

It is recommended after one has mastered basic clerical brushwork and gained some experience copying steles. With its rigorous rules and square structure, this stele is suitable as a model for transition and deepening when moving from steles such as the Cao Quan and Shi Chen toward a more square and regular line; beginners should not start with it directly.

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About the author

人民美术出版社 Author

People's Fine Arts Publishing House is a professional institution in the field of fine arts publishing in China, long engaged in editing and publishing art books. Its editorial and publishing directions cover calligraphy steles and rubbings, painting techniques, art theory, and art appreciation. The library contains 45 of its works, commonly classified under art. Representative works include calligraphy steles such as the Renmei Shupu: Lishu: Eastern Han Zhang Qian Stele, Renmei Shupu: Lishu: Eastern Han Shi Chen Stele, and the Cao Quan Stele, as well as copybook models from the series Representative Chinese Stele and Rubbing Copybook Models, including Yan Zhenqing's Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew, Huaisu's Autobiography, Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering (Five Versions), Ouyang Xun's Inscription on the Liquan at Jiucheng Palace, and Sun Guoting's Treatise on Calligraphy. These works mainly consist of collated reprints of classic steles and rubbings and copying demonstrations, emphasizing the selection of editions and the presentation of writing details. They provide accessible models for calligraphy learners and have had a relatively broad influence in calligraphy popularization and teaching. Because public information is limited, details such as its founding date and organizational history are not introduced here.