The refinement of calligraphy to the extreme is the rule of every stroke in the word. There are only seven words: start, line, receive, lift, press, turn, and fold.
1. From: The starting point should be clean and neat, and no mud and water should be dragged. When writing, the pen is like a human head, and it is necessary to carefully design how to raise the head to be steady and powerful.
2. Lines: The line is the main part of the strokes, and should pay attention to rhythm and strength. In the process of writing, it is necessary to maintain lightness and flexibility, grasp the priorities, and express the vitality and beauty of the words.
3. Receiving: The pen should be strong and complete, echoing the starting point. Don't be too impatient when closing the pen, control the strength, and do it naturally, giving people a sense of integrity and harmony.
Fourth, mention: do not pause to avoid sticking strokes. In the process of writing, the flexibility of the pen should be maintained when lifting the pen, so as not to produce adhesion between the strokes, so as to ensure the clarity of the glyph.
Fifth, press: press the pen to be powerful, reflecting the sense of vigor of the pen. The strength and depth of the pen should be determined on a case-by-case basis, and too light or too heavy will affect the effect of the stroke.
Sixth, the pen should be round and natural, to avoid the feeling of stiffness. In the process of writing, when you encounter a need to turn, you should flexibly rotate the pen barrel to make the stroke transition naturally and avoid stiff marks.
Seventh, folding: the folding pen should be decisive and powerful, reflecting the charm of the word. When writing the turning point, you should grasp the position and strength of the vertice, be decisive and powerful, and make the glyph more vivid and powerful.
In short, these seven characters – starting, lineing, receiving, lifting, pressing, turning, and folding—are the essence of the art of calligraphy, and they are also the basic rules that every calligrapher should follow. Only by refining the rules of each dot stroke in the character to the extreme can we truly understand the charm of calligraphy art and carry it forward.