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Bajue 八訣 "The eight formulas" or Bafa 八法 "The eight rules" is a text on calligraphy written during the Tang period 唐 (618-907) by Ouyang Xun 歐陽詢 (557–641), who also wrote the treatise Yongbifa 用筆法 (Yongbilun 用筆論) on the handling of the brush.
The "Eight formulas" refer to mnemonic methods for the realisation of the eight basic brush strokes of the regular script (kaishu 楷書). The mnemonic formulas are, presented at the beginning of the text:
| 、 | 如高峰之墜石 | Like a stone falling from a high peak |
| 乁 | 似長空之初月 | Resembles the crescent moon in the vast sky |
| 一 | 若千里之陣雲 | Like clouds arrayed over a thousand miles |
| 丨 | 如萬歲之枯藤 | Like an ancient vine dried for ten thousand years |
| 乚 | 勁松倒折落挂石崖 | A strong pine bent down and hanging over a cliff |
| 𠃌 | 如萬鈞之駑發 | Like a forceful arrow shot from a strong bow |
| 丿 | 利劍截斷犀象之角牙 | A sharp sword cutting through the horn of a rhinoceros |
| 乀 | 一波常三過筆 | A single wave routinely passes through three strokes |
Thereafter, the text discusses various requirements for calligraphy, including the spirit and demeanour while writing, the sitting posture, how to hold the brush, the arrangement of blank spaces, the use of ink, and the structure of characters.
The text is found in the series Lidai shufa lunwen xuan 歷代書法論文選. It is quoted in the book Peiwenzhai shuhua pu 佩文齋書畫譜, as part of Ouyang Xun's text Ouyang Lügeng shu sanshilu fa bajue 歐陽率更書三十六法八訣.