ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature

Shupu 書譜

Aug 30, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald

Shupu 書譜 "Notes on calligraphy" is a treatise on calligraphy written by the Tang-period 唐 (618-907) master Sun Guoting 孫過庭 (646-691) that was finished in 687.

Sun Guoting, courtesy name Qianli 虔禮, hailed from Fuyang 富陽 (modern Fuyang, Zhejiang) and served as administrator of the helmet section of the right guard (youwei zhoucao canjun 右衛胄曹參軍). He was famous for his expertise in the three styles of standard script (zhenshu 真書), cursive "running script" (xingshu 行書) and the super-cursive "grass script" (caoshu 草書).

Sun rated all earlier books on calligraphy as too crude, unsystematic and dated (for instance, regarding the "isolating" standard script zhangshu 章書) and decided to write a theory on this kind of art. His book had an original length of 6 chapters, spread over 2 juan. Unfortunately, only part of the text with no more than 3,500 characters has survived. The Song-period 宋 (960-1279) art book Xuanhe shupu 宣和書譜 says that the surviving text belonged to the preface, while other experts think it was part of the first chapter.

The Shupu described the styles and rules of the regular and the grass script and discussed the six styles of characters (liushu 六書) and the eight forms (bati 八體) in detail. He characterizes these styles and says that the seal script (zhuan 篆書) was elegant but clear (wan er tong 婉而通), the chancery script (li 隸) refined and dense (jing er mi 精而密), the grass script fluid and smooth (liu er chang 流而暢), and the isolating standard script (zhangshu) grandiose yet convenient (xian er bian 險而便). All these writings styles were, he said, not new, but a perfect calligrapher would see his work as a kind of dedication in order to achieve elegant demeanor, he would warm his heart in order to create an enchanting result, he would agitate his brush so that he would "dry the shaft", and he would attune all words so that he would achieve an elegant ensemble.

The text of the Shupu was very refined and elegant, but not easy to understand. Zhang Huaiguan 張懷瓘 (early 8th cent.), author of the book Shuduan 書斷, nevertheless criticised Sun Guoting's book as a comprehensive and deep-going treatise on Chinese calligraphy. Although the surviving part of Sun Guoting's book is in many parts quite obscure and hard to understand, it became one of the most influential texts on calligraphy in ancient China. Furthermore, the text that has survived both in calligraphic shape based on a stone inscription, and in printed form. The inscription was used by hundreds of calligraphers as a model to learn the art of calligraphy. Accordingly, the Shupu, text and its calligraphic shape, were often admired and commented on.

Figures 1-2. Calligraphy of Sun Guoting's Shupu 書譜
Print of the Shupu created in 1087 by Master Xue (Xue keben 薛刻本) from Hedong 河東. On a rubbing of the plate made in 1872, Jiang Xihan 蔣錫韓 added transliterations to each character, written with cinnabar ink. Seals and prefaces were added in 1876 and 1904. From Shi 2004.

The surviving part of the Shupu is included in the series Baichuan xuehai 百川學海, Shuofu 說郛, Wangshi shuhua yuan 王氏書畫苑 and Siku quanshu 四庫全書. In 1982, the Shanghai Guji Chubanshe 上海古籍出版社出版 published a critical study by Zhu Jianxin 朱建新. The Shupu has been translated by Chang Chʻung-ho and Hans H. Frankel (1995), Two Chinese Treatises on Calligraphy, New Haven : Yale University Press, together with Jiang Kui's 姜夔 (1161-1203?) Xu shupu 續書譜.

There is another book with the title Shupu (Sŏ-po) written by the Korean scholar An Qi (An Ki) 安歧 (1683-?), courtesy name Yizhou (Ŭi-chu) 儀周, style Lucun (Lok-ch'on) 鹿村 or Songquan Laoren (Song-ch'ŏn lo-in) 松泉老人. An Qi was a collector living in Tianjin 天津 during the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911). He has also written another book on calligraphy, Moyuan huiguan (Muk-yŏn hoi-kwan) 墨緣彙觀. His book of 2 juan length was intended as a commentary to Sun Guoting's book and was influenced by the commentator Chen Xiangquan 陳香泉, who had written on the surviving parts of Sun's Shupu that were transmitted together with Dou Xi's 竇息 (fl. 769) book Shushufu 述書賦.

Sources:
Beijing Dongfang Shoucangjia Xiehui 北京東方收藏家協會, ed. (1996). Zhonghua shoucang da cidian 中華收藏大辭典 (Beijing: Beijing Yanshan chubanshe), 25, 64.
Chang Ch‘ung-ho & Hans H. Frankel (1995). Two Treatises on Chinese Calligraphy [Shupu and Xu shupu] (New Haven and London: Yale University Press).
Chen Jing 陳經 (2006). "Lüelun Sun Tingguo Shupu de suxue sixiang jingsui 略論孫過庭《書譜》的書學思想精髓", Dongnan daxue xuebao (Zhexue shehui kexue ban) 東南大學學報(哲學社會科學版), 2006 (5): 114-116+128.
Gu Yi 顧毅 (2014). "Shupu liang yi xiangguan shufa gainian de chuanyi 《書譜》兩譯本相關書法概念的傳譯", Zhongguo keji fanyi 中國科技翻譯, 2014 (2): 36-39.
Guan Jinchuan 關金船 (2006). "You Shupu tan shufa de ji yu dao 由《書譜》談書法的“技”與“道”", Yishu tansuo 藝術探索, 2006 (1): 100-101+4.
Han Bangshan 韓邦山 (2015). "Sun Guoting Shupu de shufa yishu teidian 孫過庭《書譜》的書法藝術特點", Meishu jiaoyu yanjiu 美術教育研究, 2015 (17): 49.
Hu Jian 胡健 (1996). "Lun Sun Tingguo Shupu de meixue sixiang 論孫過庭《書譜》的美學思想", Shufa yishu 書法藝術, 1996 (6): 6-8.
Hua Zhuoyue 黃卓越 (1987). "Shupu 書譜", in Wang Xiangfeng 王向峰, ed. Wenyi meixue cidian 文藝美學辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning daxue chubanshe), 635.
Jiaoyu da cidian bianzuan weiyuanhui 《教育大辭典》編纂委員會, ed .(1991). Jiaoyu da cidian 教育大辭典, part 8, Zhongguo gudai jiaoyu shi 中國古代教育史 (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe), Vol. 1, 262.
Laurentis, Pietro De. (2011). The Manual of Calligraphy by Sun Guoting of the Tang: A Comprehensive Study on the Manuscript and its Author (Roma: Herder).
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1795.
Liu Heng 劉恒 (1993). "Shupu 書譜", in Ru Xin 汝信, ed. Shijie baike zhuzuo cidian 世界百科著作辭典 (Beijing: Zhongguo gongren chubanshe), 360.
Liu Tong 劉桐 (2019). "Sun Tingguo Shupu shufa meixue sixiang yanjiu 孫過庭《書譜》書法美學思想研究", Dazhong wenyi 大眾文藝, 2019 (7): 107-109.
Liu Ziyun 劉紫雲 (2022). "Sun Tingguo Shupu de shufa yishu tese yanjiu 孫過庭《書譜》的書法藝術特色研究", Mei yu shidai 美與時代, 2022 (2): 105-107.
Qi Tinggui 戚廷貴, Liu Xiaoyan 劉孝嚴, Tang Shuping 唐樹凡, eds. (1992). Dong-xifang yishu cidian 東西方藝術辭典 (Changchun: Jilin jiaoyu chubanshe), 245.
Shi Anchang 施安昌 (2004). "Sun Tingguo Shupu de Songdai ketie 孫過庭“書譜”的宋代刻帖", Zijincheng 紫禁城, 2004 (1): 113-117.
Shuai Benhua 帥本華, ed. (1991). Zhong-wai wenyijia ji mingzuo cidian 中外文藝家及名作辭典 (Lanzhou: Gansu renmin chubanshe), 157.
Sun Dayu (1935). "On the Fine Art of Chinese Calligraphy by Sun Kuo-t‘ing of the T‘ang Dynasty", T‘ien Hsia Monthly, 1 (2). 192-207.
Wang Yuguang 王余光, Xu Yan 徐雁, eds. (1999). Zhongguo dushu da cidian 中國讀書大辭典 (Nanijng: Nanjing daxue chubanshe), 1175.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 170.
Wu Huiping 吳慧平, Zhang Weiwen 張偉文 (2011). "Cong chuanshi Shupu kan Sun Guoting de shengping 從傳世《書譜》看孫過庭的生平", Meishu xuebao 美術學報 2011 (5): 96-101.
Xie Jianjun 謝建軍 (2016). "Sun Guoting Shupu dui bifa lilun de gongxian 孫過庭《書譜》對筆法理論的貢獻", Shufa yishu 書法藝術, 2016 (2): 29-31.
Zhai Yunfeng 翟雲峰 (1999). "Shilun Sun Guoting Shpu de shufa meixueguan 試論孫過庭《書譜》的書法美學觀", Shufa yishu 書法藝術, 1999 (5): 25-26.
Zhang Qianchao 張潛超 (1996). "Shupu 書譜", in Zhou Gucheng 周谷城, ed. Zhongguo xueshu mingzhu tiyao 中國學術名著提要, Vol. Yishu 藝術卷 (Shanghai: Fudan daxue chubanshe), 430.
Zhang Shuping 張樹華 (1993). "Shuping 書譜", in Shi Quanchang 石泉長, ed. Zhonghua baike yaolan 中華百科要覽 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 791.
Zhao Hong 趙宏 (2012). "Sun Guoting Shupu shufa lilun tixi ji qi tezheng 孫過庭《書譜》書法理論體系及其特徵", Shoudu Shifan Daxue xuebao (Sheke ban) 首都師範大學學報(社科版), 2012 (5): 141-146.