Taking Jiucheng Liquan inscription as an example to discuss the characteristics of European regular script

European regular script is bold, sharp, solemn and graceful. It is said that Ouyang Xun was a master of all eight styles of calligraphy, and was particularly good at seal script and official script. He was able to achieve the wonders of square and round shapes. Because of the ancient method, he overflowed into regular script, which has a natural and penetrating character and exquisite pointillism. And because he drew on the strengths of many others, his regular script structure is slim and precise, and his thoughts are precise, making him a great master of his generation. His representative works in regular script that have been handed down include: "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription", "Huangfujun Stele", "Huadu Temple Stele" and "Yu Gonggong Stele". Generally speaking, Ouyang Xun's regular script has the following two characteristics:

Firstly, the pointillism is mainly square brushes, and the iron painting and silver hook are indomitable, and it is "as dense as the sword and halberd in the arsenal" However, the world only knows his method, but does not know that his pen is round, his writing is sharp and angular, and his writing is sharp and elegant. This is a misunderstanding. Guo Zongchang's "History of Metal and Stone" said: "People know that the letter of the original changes the Jin method, but they don't know that most of the writing styles come from the ancient official script." The middle section of his calligraphy is extremely thick, while the hooks, hips and corners are strong and charming;

Secondly, its structure is steep and strict, with the horizontal strokes using the upward movement and the vertical postures using the back, which is a tight knot of diagonal drawings. Wang Wenzhi's "Inscriptions and Postscripts of Kuaiyutang" says: "Ouyang regards danger as absolute and extreme as righteousness." Precisely because his regular script cannot avoid danger, improper learning can easily damage the elegance of his regular script. Ouyang Xun's regular script looks strange, but it is actually straight. It looks square but is actually round. Among Ouyang's regular script steles, especially "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Ming", it is written very rigorously and is also particularly difficult to learn because it was written by imperial edict. Mi Fu once said, "Ouyang is like a new scab patient, looking haggard and moving hard", which is exactly what he meant. "Yu Gonggong Stele" is also known as "Wen Yanbo Stele". It was written by Cen Benben and Ouyang Xunshu. The whole stele has thirty-six lines, each line has seventy-seven characters. The seal forehead is "Tang Gute Jin Shangshu Right Servant Shot Shangzhuguo" "The Monument of Yu Gonggong and Wen Gonggong" was erected in the eleventh year of Zhenguan and written by Ou when he was eighty-one years old. The regular script of this stele is relatively easy to write, making it easy for beginners to get started with. There are many copies and reprints of Xishizhuan, so the one collected in Jiaqing Neifu is selected here. The rubbings in this volume are rich in color, the paper is tough, and extremely precise. It is later followed by postscripts by Wang Shu, Weng Fanggang, Wang Wenzhi, etc. It is considered to be the finest rubbings of the Northern Song Dynasty. It is now printed and photocopied for the benefit of calligraphy enthusiasts.

The calligraphy theory of "Ouyang Xun's Eight Secrets" created has unique insights. There are inspirations from the Ming Dynasty's Li Chun's Eighty-four Methods and the Qing Dynasty's Huang Ziyuan's writings of the Structure of 92 Methods. Its "eight battles" are: (point) like a falling stone from a peak; (horizontal) like a crescent moon in the sky; (horizontal) like a formation of clouds thousands of miles away; (vertical) like a long-lived withered vine; (strong) like a falling pine tree Break, fall and hang on the stone cliff; (break) like the hair of a crossbow; (turn off) like a sharp sword breaking the horns and teeth of a rhinoceros; (keep) one wave often passes three times. Ouyang Xun studied Wang Xizhi's calligraphy in his early days. Legend has it that he paid a lot of money to buy the "Zhigui Tu" that Wang Xizhi used to teach his children to practice calligraphy, and he studied it day and night. Later, he extensively studied the stele calligraphy styles of the Northern Dynasties, and at the same time absorbed the strengths of some calligraphers at that time, integrated them all, and formed a "vigorous, dangerous and strict style"