Wei Shuo (, 272–349 CE),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Mouyi (茂猗),

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

He'nan (和南), commonly addressed just as Lady Wei (衛夫人), who lived during the Eastern Jin, was one of the most famous of all Chinese calligraphers in history. She was a pioneer, who established new rules that developed the

regular script The regular script is the newest of the major Chinese script styles, emerging during the Three Kingdoms period , and stylistically mature by the 7th century. It is the most common style used in modern text. In its traditional form it is the t ...

. As a teacher, her most notable disciple was

Wang Xizhi Wang Xizhi ( zh, c=王羲之; courtesy name: Yishao ( zh, labels=no, c=逸少); ) was a Chinese politician, general and calligrapher from the Jin dynasty (266–420) known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. He is often regarded as the great ...

Biography

Born in modern Xia, Shanxi, Wei was the daughter of Wei Zhan (衛展) or the daughter or younger sister of Wei Heng (衛恆). She came from a family well-known for their skill in literature and calligraphy, and her uncle and cousin were also talented calligraphers. Wei was married to Li Ju (李矩, not to be confused with the Jin general of the same name, Li Ju), the Governor of Ding Prefecture. Wei and Li had Li Chong (李充), also a calligrapher and a Palace Secretarial Attendant (中書侍郎). She may have been taught the style that

Zhong Yao Zhong Yao (鍾繇, 151 – April or May 230), also referred to as Zhong You, courtesy name Yuanchang (元常), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He serv ...

used; however, judging from comments describing her style as thin, Wei's style may have been more narrow than Zhong's wider style. After her time studying the famous works of classic calligraphers, she began developing her own style, that focused on mimicking the shapes and motions found in nature, creating work of grace and vigour that became the benchmark for calligraphy from then onwards. She wrote a monumentally influential treatise on her theories of calligraphy; Wei's ''The Picture of Ink Brush'' (筆陣圖) describes the Seven Powers (七勢) that later became the famous

Eight Principles of Yong The Eight Principles of ''Yong'' are used by calligraphers to practice how to write the eight most common strokes in regular script, using the fact that they are all present in the character . It was believed that the frequent practice of these ...

. She famously compared calligraphy to war: the paper to a battlefield, the brush to a weapon and the ink to ammunition.

Works

Wei's other works include: * ''Famous Concubine Inscription'' (名姬帖, ''Ming Ji Tie'') * ''The Inscription of Weishi He'nan'' (衛氏和南帖, ''Weishi He'nan Tie'')

References

* Wang, Yuchi
"Wei Shuo"
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Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, be ...

'' (Arts Edition), 1st ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wei, Shuo 272 births 349 deaths 4th-century Chinese calligraphers Jin dynasty (266–420) calligraphers Women calligraphers 4th-century Chinese women 4th-century Chinese people 3rd-century Chinese women 3rd-century Chinese people