Liutishu lun 六體書論

Liutishu lun 六體書論, also called Liutilun 六體論, is an essay on the six writing styles written written during the early Tang period 唐 (618-907) by Zhang Huaiguan 張懷瓘 (mid-8th cent.) from Hailing 海陵 (today's Taixian 泰縣, Jiangsu), and his younger brother Zhang Huaihuai 張懷瓌. Zhang Huaiguan is more famous for his book Shuduan 書斷. The essay was submitted to the throne to instruct the emperor about the origins, history, style and effects of the writing styles of the large seal script (dazhuan 大篆), small seal script (xiaozhuan 小篆), bafen 八分, chancery script (lishu 隸書), "running script" (xingshu 行書), and "grass script" (caoshu 草書).

The large seal script had been created by Shi Zhou 史籀. It is broader than the ancient script (guwen 古文) and, like the latter, imitated the patterns of bird tracks. Its form is "like the fluttering wings of a phoenix or the twisting tail of a dragon" (luan feng fen yi, qiu long diao wei 鸞鳳奮翼，虬龍掉尾). Some characters resemble "blooming flowers and leaves spreading out" (hua e xiang chang 花萼相承), while others are as "strong and direct as arrows or as gracefully curved as bows" (jing zhi ru shi, wan qu ruo gong 勁直如矢，宛曲若弓). The style is sharp and refined, akin to "divine transformation" (tong yu shen hua 同乎神化). Li Si 李斯 (d. 208 BCE) and Cai Yong 蔡邕 (132-192) succeeded in continuing this tradition.

The Small Seal Script (xiaozhuan) was created by Li Si. Its form may be characterised by intricate carving and bending, or as resembling "suspended needles" (xuan zhen 懸鍼). Its style is dynamic and soaring, with a dignified beginning. Cao Xi 曹喜 (c. 90 CE) and Cai Yong continued this tradition.

The wide regular script (bafen) was created by Wang Cizhong 王次仲 (c. 200 BCE). Its style is dynamic and with lively strokes, with a robust and distinctive structure, evoking a sense of "soaring energy and waves" (teng qi yang bo 騰氣揚波). It values elegance and the pursuit of uniqueness (gui yo shang qi 貴逸尚奇). Cai Yong is considered the founder of this style, followed by Zhang Chang 張昶 (d. 206 CE), Huang Xiang 皇象 (3rd cent.), as well as Zhong Yao 鍾繇 (151–230) and Suo Jing 索靖 (239–303), who succeeded in carrying it forward.

The chancery script (lishu) was created by Cheng Miao 程邈 (c. 220 BCE). Its form is genuine and is also referred to as the "true" regular (zhenshu 真書). The style was perfected by Zhong Yao, Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303–361), and Wang Xianzhi 王獻之 (344-386).

The running script (xingshu) was created by Liu Desheng 劉德昇 (late 2nd cent. CE). It is neither entirely regular nor completely cursive; rather, it is like a morning rooster fluttering as if about to fly (chen ji liangqiang er jiang fei 晨鷄踉蹡而將飛), or an evening crow flitting about as if about to land (mu ya lian pian er yu xia 暮鴉聯翩而欲下).

The grass script (caoshu) was created by Zhang Zhi 張芝 (d. 192). It represents the final stage of script development. It is close to the large seal script in form and has a vivid, natural quality. However, the cursive style values simplicity and masters of it are criticised for being overly simplistic. Although Wang Xizhi made appropriate adjustments and improvements, his work is still quite distant from achieving the refined elegance of Zhang Zhi.

The essay also gives some commentaries on famous calligraphers. The author says, students of calligraphy should take the works of theses masters as their models and imitate their style, despite all personal differences between them.

The text is quoted in the book Shuyuan jinghua 書苑菁華 and included in the series Lidai shufa lunwen xuan 歷代書法論文選.