The astringent brushwork in calligraphy was first proposed by Cai Yong in the Han Dynasty. He said: "There are two ways to write books: one is 'disease', the other is 'astringent', and the two methods of 'disease and astringency' are wonderful. Since then, illness and astringency have become a pair of core concepts in the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy. Illness and astringency both refer to gestures, that is, the so-called illness and astringency. Therefore, the speed is not simply the speed of the pen, although the speed of the pen is included, but more attention is paid to the gesture. It's easy to do it, but it's not easy to do it.
The method of astringency, just like Su Shi's comment on Mi Fu's calligraphy, is "calm and happy". What is "calm and happy"? Su Shi said, just like a warship riding the wind and waves, and a warhorse charging into battle, it is not only like a boat sailing against the current, but also like a thousand miles of clouds, in short, it is necessary to be calm but not fat, happy but not slippery. Calm and happy, sick and astringent, perfectly combined, so, in the middle of the line, between the astringent, calm and happy.
In the astringency, the astringency is the key, and in the composure and pleasure, the composure is the key. However, to be calm and astringent, it is necessary not to make the pen die on the paper, but to put down the pen solidly, and at the same time the pen must be able to jump. So how can you do it? Liu Xizai said it well:
The author is accustomed to hearing the astringent pen, but I don't know how to get astringent. However, if the pen wants to do it, if there is something to refuse, try to fight with it, Si is unexpectedly astringent and self-astringent. ”
That is to say, in the process of running the brush, as if the friction of the paper is very large, with the strong willpower of the main body to overcome and overcome it, there is constant resistance, and constantly overcome, after overcoming at the same time there is new resistance, and then overcome, and then forge ahead, so that the progress is progressive, astringent forward, the result of full friction, the full friction of the pen and the paper and the rustling sound, just like Zhu Jia's so-called "astringent spring cannibalizes the sound of leaves, Shen Xiong is clumsy and natural".
Astringency is the mainstay, but the disease and astringency should still be unified, and seeking astringency in the disease is seeking frustration in the flying. Wang Xizhi said that "the momentum is astringent", just like a horse galloping, and at the same time holding the reins, the power of ** is full of and agitating the power to move forward, which is the speed and astringency. Another example is when the trailer goes downhill, in order to control the speed, it is necessary to press the handle, so that the brake pad and the road surface are fully rubbed, astringent, astringent, astringent, astringent, astringent, astringent, and astringent, in the process of advancing by a kind of reverse force, the ancients described the pen as "sailing against the current" is this truth. The lines thus written are like clockwork clockwork, not noodles cooked in a soup pot.
Astringency mainly emphasizes the problem of willpower in the process of writing. Di Chongguang said: "If you want to know more power, watch its luck in the middle." "When people write, they only notice the discrepancies between the two ends of the strokes, because the dot painting is clear and easy to be noticed. The astringent brush, on the other hand, requires attention to the unattainable sense of solidity and unbridled strength in the middle of the strokes, which is the statement of "Zhongshi" put forward by Bao Shichen. On the contrary, it is "middle timidity", and the disease of the bee waist and crane knee that the ancients said is aimed at "middle and empty timidity". Astringent pen rule is not, astringent is the accumulation of points into a line, to keep the line, in order to make the line thick and powerful, that is, Mi Fu said, "the pen is as thin as a mustache, but also round; Although the pen is as thick as a rafter, it is also thick". It is necessary to make the lines thin and round like iron wire, and contain tendons such as cotton wrapped in iron or hidden needles in cotton, so that the heart of the pen can be solid.
To be astringent, it is necessary to have the strength of the whole body, and to send it with all its might, especially the power of the gossamer, not only can not be slack, but also need to be focused. Zhu Hetang said: "If you use the pen to get to the smallest detail, you must also use all your strength to do it, but the most difficult thing is to use the details." If the degree of curvature meets low-key and low-key words, it must be tactful and clear, and it must still have edges and corners, and it cannot be ambiguous. The gossamer pattern of the folds of the clothes of the picturesque characters is full of strength, and the pen runs through the spirit. "It's like composing a music to a low-key place, but it still has to be clear and flowing, as if it is in the ear; It is also like the folds of the clothes of the characters in the painting, long and thin, fluttering and elegant, full of strength, and vivid postures.
In fact, when you think about it, what is reflected in the astringent brushwork is the Confucian attitude of "knowing that it cannot be done" (Taoism is just the opposite, it is knowing that it is impossible but not doing), a spirit that is not afraid of difficulties, not afraid of sacrifice, moving forward bravely, the more frustrated and more courageous, the more courageous the more you fight. The astringent penmanship is written with this kind of spirit. Just like the mantis arm as a car, it is a kind of resolute, self-sacrificing, "I can't come out, like the common people" (Liang Shuming) attitude to life.
In writing, the pen can be astringent, the pen can be full, and the pen is against the astringency, that is, the pride is in my chest, filled with a strong vitality and enthusiasm to transform the world. Since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the revival of stele science advocated by Kang Youwei and others, as well as the rediscovery of the Han and Wei inscriptions of the Six Dynasties, have been implemented in the brushwork, which is to reverse the astringency and Zhongshi; When it comes to style, it is strong and exciting; When it comes to cultural choices, it is the re-development of the Confucian spirit.