行书书法字典：上千家书法名家和碑帖 14.0

Adding steles and inscriptions, collected by the National Palace Museum.

Handwriting trajectory demonstration

Easy signature function

Copying, demonstration functions

Cursive Calligraphy Dictionary: Thousands of calligraphers and steles

1. Added tracing function
2. Inscription function
3. Massive collection of famous artists
4. Classic cursive script

Cursive script originated based on clerical script, a typeface between regular script and cursive script, created to compensate for the slow writing speed of regular script and the difficulty in recognizing cursive script. "行" means "to walk," so it is not as untidy as cursive script nor as formal as regular script. Essentially, it is a cursive version of regular script or a formalized version of cursive script. When there is more regular script than cursive style, it's called "semi-cursive," and when there is more cursive style than regular script, it's called "cursive semi-cursive."

According to Zhang Huai Gu's "Shu Duan": "The writer of semi-cursive is Liu Desheng from Yingchuan in the Later Han Dynasty, who made slight errors in regular script, pursued simplicity and easiness, so it is called semi-cursive." Hence, it can be understood that "semi-cursive" is a typeface evolved from regular script. Wang Sengqian's "List of Famous Calligraphers in Ancient Times" states: "Zhong Yao had three styles of writing: inscriptions on stone were the best; official documents were for passing on secret messages and teaching beginners; signed documents were for public recognition. Weizi from Weidong in Hedong adopted Zhang Zhi's method and incorporated it with his own to create rough drafts. Rough drafts are for public recognition." From this, it can be known that semi-cursive is also known as signed documents and initially developed from drawing signatures. Public recognition refers to various written documents.

Semi-cursive emerged around the same time as clerical script, and its form is very close to clerical script and subsequent regular scripts. This is equivalent to evolving from clerical script to cursive script - branching out from "proper characters." The "proper characters" of the Huan Ling period were mainly clerical scripts followed by "semi-clerical script," which is why people consider semi-cursive as a branch of "semi-clerical script." In fact, like other styles, its initial creation was by ordinary people who simply needed to deviate slightly from clerical style when writing semi-cursively; this transition can be observed in unearthed documents from the end of the Han Dynasty. Semi-cursive was not widely used until the appearance of Wang Xizhi in the Jin Dynasty.

When semi-cursive reached Wang Xizhi's hands, he combined its utility and artistic value most perfectly. Thus, Wang Xizhi established the lasting southern style cursive art that has had the most significant impact in the history of calligraphy.