Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

COMPOSITION

Tséng-Ciuen is another principle that must be used sparingly and as a rule only with good precedent. Its value is not realizable except by long experience, and the modifications it entails cannot be practised lightly.

(12) Ch‘éng-Chu (# #:), Lower Prop. Characters with a rather small base easily become weak, because the centre of gravity falls on the slightest part of the whole. Cho, Ts‘ao, Mao, and Ting, for example, are supported on ‘ dewdrop’ or ‘ suspended needle ’ vertical strokes, or ‘ supporting hook’. Cho and Ts‘ao are Guano ae (en easier to write than Mao and FIG. 133 Ting: the vertical stroke at the base has the stability of a stake driven into the ground. The hook in Mao and Ting is slightly curved in the right direction—a subtle method for producing the effect of this stability.

(13) Chao-I (#3 #:), Salutation. Characters which have two or three parts of equal value we think of imaginatively as people of equal rank meeting and acknowledging one another. Where there are only two such parts, as in Ku, Fu, and Yiin, in Fig. 134, these should be of equal height and breadth. Where there are three (Fig. 135), the centre one must stand precisely

AF 3 8 HB

Yiin Ch‘ung Hsieh Shu

al ook ie (rhyme) (to push (to (tree) back) assist) forward) thank) FIG. 134 FIG. 135

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