Zhang Zhi (, died 192),

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 ...

Boying (), was a Chinese

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. Born in Jiuquan, Gansu, he was a pioneer of the modern cursive script, and was traditionally honored as the Sage of Cursive Script (). Furthermore, he is known as one of the Four Talented Calligraphers () in Chinese calligraphy.

Biography

Zhang Zhi was the eldest son of Zhang Huan (; 104-181), a military general; Zhang Zhi's younger brother Zhang Chang () was also a well-known calligrapher. Despite the great fame he enjoyed in ancient times, no veritable works of Zhang Zhi's have survived. A catchphrase is attributed to him: "Too busy to write cursively" (), which shows that the execution of cursive script, though originally invented for the sake of time-saving, requires a tranquil frame of mind.

References

Bibliography

* Zhong, Mingshan,
"Zhang Zhi"
''

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. Year of birth unknown 192 deaths Artists from Gansu People from Jiuquan 2nd-century Chinese calligraphers {{China-bio-stub