The Calligraphy Raft

笪重光Jun 2024

4.2

Word count: 1.1K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history, marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness and literary quality. Early forms of thought are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical Chinese medical texts, ancient military treatises, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and geographical records—all are profound and wide-ranging. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books, with emphasis on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers may cultivate their character and quietly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Shu Fa is a Qing dynasty work on calligraphy by Da Chongguang. In concise, aphoristic entries it discusses such matters as brushwork, character structure, spatial arrangement, and spirit resonance, and it has long been regarded as one of the terse and penetrating works of calligraphic theory. This book preserves the original appearance of the text; it is short but its entries are concentrated, suited to repeated chewing over: many statements seem to stop just where they touch the point, yet only by combining them with writing practice can one grasp what they point to. Its value lies in grounding formal questions of calligraphy at a concrete, perceptible level: it discusses both the rhythm of brush and ink in motion and the spatial arrangement of a whole work, and it is quite helpful for understanding the aesthetic standards of traditional calligraphy. One need not try to read it all through at once; each entry can be verified against one's own experience of copying steles or against actual steles and copybooks. Readers without writing experience should treat it as a specimen of ancient calligraphic theory, first grasping the scope of its discussion and its manner of expression, and then gradually going deeper.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Practitioners with some experience in copying steles who want to improve their aesthetic judgment of calligraphy
Calligraphy enthusiasts interested in theories of brushwork, character structure, and spatial arrangement
Readers studying ancient calligraphic theory who need short texts for close reading
Classics readers who enjoy aphoristic classical discourse and are willing to read slowly and savor it

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners who need systematic, step-by-step technique instruction
Academic readers expecting lengthy argument and detailed examples
Readers who only want to skim quickly and are unwilling to connect the text with practice

Reading tips

Read only three to five entries at a time, then compare them with the stele you are currently copying to see whether you can find corresponding phenomena.
Keep paper and pen for brief marginal notes, record entries in doubt, and reread them after some time before making judgments.
First read through once to grasp the general scope, then reread by theme such as brushwork, character structure, and spatial arrangement.
If possible, try writing while reading, using the experience of writing to test whether the statements in the book match reality.

版权信息
书筏

FAQ

Is this book suitable for someone with no calligraphy background?

Not very suitable as a first book. Its entries are terse and mostly discuss concrete matters such as brushwork, character structure, and spatial arrangement; without writing experience it is hard to appreciate what is meant. Complete beginners should first learn basic brush methods and how to copy steles, then return to this book, when the gains will be more obvious.

The entries are too short—what if I don't understand them?

You can slow down, handle only a few entries at a time, and look for corresponding phenomena in the steles you are copying; when you encounter terms, consult calligraphy dictionaries first, and do not insist on understanding everything at once. Many statements in the book need repeated verification in practice; you can mark entries you do not understand and reread them after some time, often with new understanding.

Does this book need to be read alongside steles?

It is advisable. The questions of brushwork, character structure, and spatial arrangement discussed in the book easily remain vague if kept only at the textual level; comparing with specific steles or your own copies makes it clearer what is meant. One or two familiar steles will suffice; there is no need for many—the point is to establish a connection between text and writing phenomena.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

笪重光 Author

Da Chongguang was an important theorist of painting and calligraphy in the late Ming and early Qing period. Public information about his life is limited, and neither his dates nor his birthplace are clearly recorded. Judging from the three works held in the collection, his writings focus on organizing and summarizing traditional Chinese theories of painting and calligraphy. Huajian (The Loach Net of Painting) discusses landscape painting in a concise parallel prose style, addressing core issues such as conception, composition, brushwork and ink, and artistic mood; its compressed and highly generalized language has long been valued by scholars of painting theory. Shufa (The Raft of Calligraphy) is devoted to calligraphy, covering brush use, character structure, and overall layout, showing his deep understanding of the common principles linking painting and calligraphy. Though brief, these works are finely reasoned and written in a spare style that combines theoretical depth with literary quality, giving them a place in the genealogy of classical Chinese painting and calligraphy theory; they are often grouped under theory, Eastern philosophy, and culture.