Cao zi lun zhai yao ????? [The Essentials of the Threads of the Cursive Script]

LIANG, Minxian ???

About this Item

Four vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [China]: Privately Printed by Zhushen hejing zhai ?????, 1859. An early edition, most likely the first, of this very rare manual on cursive script calligraphy, or cao shu. This script "received [its] final formulation during the Six Dynasties period" (Ledderose, Mi Fu, 7-8). Liang Minxian wrote in the Preface to our book that since the Han dynasty, calligraphers competent in the cursive script exceeded 200. Yet, "under our Dynasty, the learning of characters flourishes; only the cursive script remains little used." Liang thus wrote the present manual for readers to learn cursive script forms by juxtaposing them to the standard script forms. Liang Minxian (courtesy name Xigeng ??, style name Zhushen hejing zhai ???????) is said to have been part of the private secretarial staff of He Shaoji ??? (1799-1873), from whom he would have learned cursive script calligraphy. There were three editions of The Essentials of the Threads of the Cursive Script. Our edition contains only the author s Preface, dated 1859, and was privately published, with Liang s studio name listed as the publisher. Another edition was published by Xiaowen tang ??? in Guangdong and a third in 1931 (Li, Zhonghua shufa zhuanke da cidian, 801). We find no copy in WorldCat. Nice set in a hantao. First leaf of fourth volume a little defective. References Chen Zhidong ??? Yushan tang wenji: Zhongguo shufa xue lunzhu tiyao ??????????????? Guilin: Guangxi shifan daxue, 2021. Ledderose, Lothar. Mi Fu and the Classical Tradition of Chinese Calligraphy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. Li Guojun ??? et al., eds. Zhonghua shufa zhuanke da cidian ????????? Changsha: Hunan jiaoyu chubanshe, 1990. Lipu xian defang zhi bianzuan weiyuanhui ??????????? ed. Lipu Xianzhi ???? Beijing: Sanlian shudian, 1996.

Seller Inventory # 9797

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cao zi lun zhai yao ????? [The Essentials of the Threads of the Cursive Script]
• Binding: Soft cover
• Seller catalogs:
  • Dictionary
  • China
  • Chinese New Acquisitions
  • Chinese
  • Asia (Antiquarian)