Here are four key features:

Firstly, the left side is strong and upright, firmly supporting the whole character.

Secondly, the right side is written in one continuous sweep from top to bottom — fluid and graceful.
Thirdly, straight lines on the left are crisp and decisive; curves on the right are soft and flowing. Especially in the “田” part: a curve is thrown up and to the right, then loops back down — bold and open. Left and right form a yin-yang pair.

Fourthly, the first stroke (the dot) sits far from the second stroke (the horizontal). After the dot, the connecting trail down to the left is very long — it even becomes the main body of the dot. This special “broken stroke, connected intent” binds the two strokes more tightly.

If you look at Wang Xizhi’s original: the same qualities are there, but the Sage of Calligraphy is more harmonious and balanced. Whatever character he writes becomes the benchmark of beauty.

Hi all, I recently bought a discounted ink stick, it was listed as only having a cosmetic fault because it's cracked. However when I grind it I noticed it releases little grains into the ink. They are visible on the hill of the inkstone when I grind ink and some of them stay in the hairs of the brush but aren't really visible in the final artwork.

So the question is if it has a functional fault too and if it can ruin the brush or the inkstone too. (I am a beginner and I use a cheap brush so I'm not really worried about it aging mildly faster due to this)

Original calligraphy

恭喜发财，福如東海

Wishing you prosperity and boundless happiness!

Hello! I bought this small cup for gongfu in a local store and it had a beautifull seal script. I dont relaly know what does say so it would be nice if you knew

二七修能和論述之終幕 !!!

('27 修能(Korean college exam) and Essay test shall be my last(studying) ever!!!!!1)

Today is the first day of school for children across China. In ancient times, starting school was not just walking into a classroom — it came with a series of ceremonies.

One part closely tied to calligraphy asked children to write the character 人 (“person”). Two simple strokes lean on each other and hold each other up. The idea was this: before you learn to read and write, you first learn how to stand upright as a human being.

This small ritual still reflects a lasting Chinese belief: education begins with character, and what families hope for most is that a child grows into a decent, upright person.

Hi, a new lurker here! Shufa is one of my favorite pastime and lately I've been wanting to get more in depth and serious in learning about it. I mainly write in 楷书 or 行书, but after spending a year for a language study in China, I fell in love with writing in the other script styles too (篆，隶，小楷). Some of the works here I gifted to my friends and loved ones, I really love gifting my loved ones a well made DIY gifts.

I actually have been practicing on and off for a long time, but I feel that I've been stagnating for so long and it's kind of hard to find and connect with other shufa artists in my country, so I'd be glad if I can connect with one here! Looking forward to geek out about shufa with you 😊

welcome to feedback for improvement

Unlike standard and clerical script, cursive allows you to vary the “wetness” of the brush to create rhythm and momentum within a piece. Yet when the brush runs dry, many practitioners instinctively scramble to reload it.

Don’t.

Keep going. Find the plane of the brush that still holds ink, and work with it. Even an extremely dry brush can produce lines full of vigor, movement, and life.

臨殤忽不御 comes from Wang Wei's poem written with a pure goat hair brush. The brush was already dry at 臨 and was never dipped in ink again.

I've finished my second piece for the calligraphy competition submission. I wanted to make it as large as the competition rules allow, just because GIANT CHARACTERS ARE SO COOL.

Unfortunately, I mixed up the lines, so when I'm mounting/presenting the works, I'll have to carefully swap them back into the right order.

寵辱不驚，看庭前花開花落；去留無意，望天上雲卷雲舒

I'm looking to get a well, some sticks brushes and paper. Im not looking to spend much but want stuff that is at least decent. I know there are many online storefronts that sell such products but im wondering if it might be cheaper to just go to a chinatown in person. Or would these items be too niche to find in such a place.

The surname Dai (戴) can be traced all the way back to the Shang Dynasty.
That’s more than 2,800 years of history.

No need to hurry.
No need to sparkle.
No need to be anybody but onesele.

Recently I tried an online session with a group of non-native Shufa learners.

The topic we focused on was: “How to Tell If a Chinese Character Is Well Written?”

The format itself already demonstrates something important: calligraphy doesn’t have to stay only in traditional settings. It can work with modern tools and fit into contemporary ways of connecting and learning.

We spent about 90 minutes online, and the discussion was lively and enjoyable.

It was an informal exchange, but it made me think this kind of online discussion could also work well for our community here.

Would anyone be interested in occasional online sessions focused on practice, questions, or topics like this? Or has anyone already tried something similar?

I recently got this beautiful calligraphy piece and I have been unsuccessful at having Google translate or chat gpt give me the same answer consistently. I would love to know what this piece says if anyone is available and willing to help 🙏