Chinese calligraphy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	書法
Simplified Chinese	书法
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shūfǎ Wu Romanization sy平 fah入 Hakka Romanization su24 fab2 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping syu1 faat3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ su-hoat
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Thư pháp
Chữ Hán	書法
Korean name
Hanja	書藝
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Seoye McCune–Reischauer Sŏye
Japanese name
Kanji	書道
Hiragana	しょどう (modern) しよだう (historical)
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Shodō

Chinese calligraphy is calligraphy that is done in China. Chinese calligraphy is compared to painting, poetry, and music.

In China, calligraphy is called shūfǎ (書法/书法). It means "way/method/law of writing". It is called shodō (書道) in Japan. It means "way of writing" in Japanese. It is called seoye (서예; 書藝) in Korea. It means "skill of writing" in Korean.

Materials and tools

Four of the most important tools in Chinese calligraphy are called the Four Treasures of the Study. They are the ink brushes, the ink, the paper, and the inkstone. Many calligraphers also usually use water-droppers, paperweights.

Stroke order

Calligraphy usually follows a certain order when writing.

• First horizontally, then vertically
• Top to bottom
• Left side, then right side
• First the middle, then the sides
• First the frame, then inside the frame
• Close the frame last
• Secondary dots last

Images for kids

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  Oracle bone fragment, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 B.C.)

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  Memorial to Yueyang Tower by Fan Zhongyan, Song Dynasty

• 

  Poems of The four treasures in a scholar's study (Qing dynasty)

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  A Chinese calligraphy set, Gurgaon, near Delhi, India

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  Brush-washers for removing excess ink are essential tools in the traditional art of Chinese calligraphy.

• 

  Water calligraphy or ground calligraphy is a popular pastime in China.

See also

In Spanish: Caligrafía china para niños