Shushi 書勢

Shushi 書勢, full title Shishu wushi 書勢五事 "Five aspects of the brush's momentum", is a brief book on calligraphy written during the mid-Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Cheng Yaotian 程瑶田 (1725-1814), courtesy name Yitian 易田 or Yichou 易疇, also called Yiqing 一卿, style Rangtang 讓堂, from Shexian 歙縣, Anhui. He was educational instructor (jiaoyu 教諭) of Jiading 嘉定, Jiangsu，and later instructor second-class (xuezheng 學正) of Taicang 太倉. His studies on various fields from Classical scholarship to agriculture and the arts are included in the series Yitonglu 通藝錄.

The Shushi describes five key movements of the brush: "empty movement" (xu yun 虚運), "central spear-points" (zhongfeng 中鋒), structure and form (jieti 結體), dots and strokes (dianhua 點畫), and pauses and bends (dunzhe 頓折), with detailed analysis of their main principles. Regarding the "empty movement", Cheng explains that calligraphy is created through the movement of the brush, which depends on the fingers, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. The lower body's solid movement can influence the upper body's "empty movement". This reflects the principle of the interdependence of "empty" (xu 虚) and "solid" (shi 實) elements. In the section on "central spear-points", Cheng's view is that "the brush point extends outward from all four sides to form the silent strokes of the character; the slanted movement of the point is caused by the brush's central spear-point. The four sides of the brush tip extend in different directions according to the hand's orientation and the balance of Yin and Yang, demonstrating its capability, which is directed by the brush's central spear-point.

The section on structure and form discusses the development and changes in calligraphic styles, validating the forms of calligraphy. Due to the differences between the seal script (zhuanshu 篆書), the chancery script (lishu 隸書), and the regular script (kaishu 楷書), each script has its distinctive form, and their evolution can be understood by examining how their structures differ.

The section on dots and strokes states that there are eight variations of the dot and stroke (corresponding to the eight types of brush strokes as symbolised in the character yong 永), similar to how a person stands and looks in all directions. Thus, right and left rotations can have eight different forms. These eight forms can be divided into four Yang strokes: ce 側, nu 努, lüe 掠, and zhuo 啄, representing right rotations in the southwest; and four types of Yin strokes: le 勒, ti 趯, ce 策, and zhe 磔, representing left rotations in the southeast.

The section on pauses and bends uses metaphors from the natural world, such as the rising and falling of mountains, the surging waves of rivers, and the flourishing and withering of plants, to illustrate the principle of alternating long and short movements.

This book offers unique insights into calligraphy, and from this, the reader can understand its profound teachings.

The Shushi is also found in the series Meishu congshu 美術叢書.