Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), swordsmanship (Jian) was considered one of the five arts along with the zither (Qin), chess (Qi), calligraphy (Shu), and painting (Hua). These five arts were requirements for men of talent who aspire to serve their country. The five arts were representative of a well-rounded warrior capable of both martial and civil responsibilities. There is strong emphasis of a balance between hard and soft, that a warrior must be able to lead men in battle during times of unrest and govern the masses during times of peace. Through the centuries, warriors who did not seek service in the Imperial court primarily focused on the art of the sword but shortly after, although they could pass on learning music, painting, and even chess, they couldnt entirely forego calligraphy. This is in a large part because of the close relationship between the sword and the brush... Both the art of the sword and the brush have two internals and two externals, equaling the four essentials - Form (Xing), Strength (Li), Spirit (Shen), and Energy (Qi)... The Two Externals focus on that what a person can objectively see: 1. Form (Xing) - Every brush stroke in calligraphy has a certain shape and form like that of a sword stance. 2. Strength (Li) - The power in the hand, wrist, and forearm while holding a brush applies to that of holding a sword. The Two Internals focus on that what cannot be seen but felt or sensed: 3. Spirit (Shen) - A trained calligrapher can almost feel the emotion of a written character or word and it reflects in the spirit of the piece. This is not so different from a trained swordsman during practice, feeling the poetic or destructive nature of a particular stance. 4. Energy (Qi) - Chinese calligraphy requires the application of Qi to properly follow through with each stroke. During writing, the controlled breathing could help steady your hand and concentrate. This is not too different from that of using a sword... source: homecast.net/~o.tsun/ThreeDragon/index_swd.htm
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 05:53:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015