Stele of Thousand Character Classic in Regular and Cursive Scripts

CHINA; Sui dynasty

Chan Master Zhiyong wrote this copy of the Thousand Character Classic, which was originally composed by Zhou Xingsi of the Liang dynasty (502–557). The calligraphy consists of 202 lines with 10 characters each. Written in a combination of regular and cursive scripts, the characters are interlaced side-by-side throughout the piece; therefore, it is often referred to as the Thousand Character Classic in Regular and Cursive Scripts. Master Zhiyong wrote over 800 copies of the Thousand Character Classic. This particular copy pioneered the practice of writing the poem as a means of practicing calligraphy, and is thought to be the most influential among existing works. The calligraphy was carved onto a stone stele in the year 1109 of Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), and is now kept at the Xi’an Beilin Museum in Shaanxi. A rubbing is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The calligraphy of this piece is careful and precise with excellent brushwork. The script follows the style of Master Zhiyong’s grandfather, the renowned calligrapher Wang Xizhi. The characters in regular script are sturdy and elegant, while the cursive characters appear lively and appealing. Su Shi once commented that, “The strength of characters is profound and steady, and the style wonderful. It is perfect, sparse, and light.”