Running script is one of the most expressive and versatile Chinese calligraphy styles.
Many Chinese calligraphy masterpieces are written in it.
And many calligraphers have had their own distinct version of running script.
Read on to find out about its key features, development over millennia, and more.
Contents
- What is running script?
- A brief history of running script
- Taizong emperor (598 – 649 AD)
- The three running script masterpieces
- How to translate xingshu?
What is running script?
Running script (行书 [xíngshū]) (sometimes referred to as semi-cursive script) refers to one of the three ‘modern’ primary scripts of Chinese calligraphy. The other two are:
- Regular script (sometimes called standard script)
- Grass script (sometimes called cursive script)
Running script generally looks like standard Chinese calligraphy characters – but written slightly faster and looser.
This makes it both simultaneously more practical and personal.
Running script features
Compared with other scripts, it has unique blend of readability and flexibility.
Its features can be summarised as follows:
- Strokes of different lengths, shapes, and tilts. For example, horizontal brushstrokes that thicken as they progress
- Different spacing between and within characters and lines
- Different versions of the same characters or strokes in the same piece
- Strokes joining up in a way that also shapes the entry and exit points of each individual stroke.
Running script vs regular script vs grass script…
This combination of features gives running script more range to work with than regular script (which must stay uniform and consistent). It makes running script highly expressive.
Grass script, is very expressive, too. However only real calligraphy connoisseurs can understand its content, which limits its appeal.
And unlike grass script, running script does not use shorthand versions of existing characters.
Running script variations
Besides the different sizes running script can be written in (i.e., in a large, medium, or small hand), there are two main variations of it:
- Running-regular script (行楷 [xíngkǎi]; sometimes called 宋楷 [Sòngkǎi]): Running script similar to regular (/standard) script. I.e., slightly or lightly cursive
- Running-grass script (行草 [xíngcǎo]): Running script that tends towards to grass script, I.e., very or heavily cursive.
These different variations are not always clear or easy to define. They can be seen as existing on a subtle spectrum.
And in the same piece, some running script characters may vary between the two categories.
Take, for example, Yan Zhenqing’s (709 – 785 AD) running script masterpiece Requiem for My Nephew.
It begins (on the right) with measured running-regular script and ends (on the left) with dramatic running-grass script.
In this case, the style change reflects the changing emotions in the piece’s content.
A brief history of running script
Origins & early development: Eastern Han (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD) – to Eastern Jin (266 – 420 AD) dynasties
Many people naturally assume that running script developed from regular script.
After all, running script essentially looks like a cursive version of regular script.
However, running script developed out of clerical script.
And regular script from the Tang dynasty onwards was heavily based on earlier running script.
In other words, running script appeared before regular script, developed alongside it, and directly influenced it.
Early running script innovators
Liu Deshen of the Eastern Han dynasty (25 – 225 AD) is often credited as the creator of the earliest running script.
Unfortunately, no records of his work survive today.
He passed on his knowledge to his students, Zhong Yao (151 – 230 AD) and Hu Zhao (162 – 250 AD).
Zhong, in turn, inspired the calligraphy sage himself, Wang Xizhi (303 – 361 AD).
During Wang’s era, the modern versions of regular script and grass became established. Wang blended them all in his running script.
His most famous surviving masterpiece, Orchid Pavilion Preface, is in running script.
Wang’s seventh son, Wang Xianzhi (344 – 386 AD) was also innovator in running script.
A – perhaps apocryphal – story has it that about two years before his father passed away, Wang Xianzhi stressed the need for further innovation in existing scripts to him.
Disunity & development: Northern and Southern dynasties period (420 – 589 AD)
During these centuries, China was not a unified empire.
It makes it more difficult for us to understand calligraphy’s development.
However, we know a new class of educated elite appeared. And many of whom highly valued calligraphy.
Chinese writing obviously began much earlier than this period, with oracle bone script.
But it’s during these centuries we see calligraphy develop further as an art.
Running script was often at the forefront of this.
The Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD)
Today, the Tang dynasty is particularly famous for its poetry.
Many of China’s greatest poets lived during this time, including its three greatest: Wang Wei (ca. 701 – 761), Li Bai (701 – 762) and Du Fu (712 – 770).
However, it was also a golden age for calligraphy, too.
And whilst no individual Tang calligrapher surpassed Wang Xizhi’s heights in running script, many came close.
And the script itself (in part thanks to Wang’s ongoing influence) developed dramatically.
Taizong emperor (598 – 649 AD)
The Taizong Emperor of Tang played an crucial role in the development of Calligraphy in two main senses:
- His advocation of Wang Xizhi’s work as a standard for calligraphers
- His promotion of the formerly privately used running script in public forums.
His private collection likely numbered over 700 calligraphy pieces from various dynasties, including many – authentic and forgeries – by Wang Xizhi.
Part of the reason for Taizong’s promotion of calligraphy was political. The imperial family had partial non-Han Chinese heritage (from the Xianbei ethnicity).
By controlling the most prestigious Chinese cultural pursuit, and its recognised master, he reinforced his prestige and association with the most elite of Chinese arts.
Ouyang Xun (557 AD – 641 AD): Early Tang innovator
Ouyang Xun is primarily known for his elegant and finely balanced regular script. However, his running script was also remarkably well executed, too.
Its thick strokes and balanced structure hint at what would later become hallmarks of Tang calligraphy more broadly.
The origins of Ouyang’s style undoubtably appeared during the Northern and Southern dynasties (420 AD – 589 AD) and short-lived Sui dynasty (581 – 618 AD).
Yu Shinan (558 – 638 AD)
Yu Shinan is also primarily remembered for his regular script. However, he also mastered a brilliant running script.
His gentle and flexible running script characters flow in a controlled manner and also reflect the clear influence of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi.
Yan Zhenqing (709 – 785 AD)
Yan Zhenqing is known for his abilities in regular, running and cursive scripts.
He was a respected official and calligrapher during his lifetime. And afterwards his reputation grew, especially during the Song dynasty.
In part, this was due to his reputation as an upright official. This was added to further by the nature of his death by execution aged 76.
However, his reputation also comes from this distinct and muscular style.
His most famous masterpiece, Draft of Requiem to My Nephew (see below) demonstrates this expressive and elegant style perfectly.
The Five Dynasties period (906 – 960 AD)
The fall of the Tang was followed by half a century of violent competition between states.
Later generations largely disregarded the calligraphy or this period, except for that of Yang Ningshi (873 – 954).
Yang specialised in a natural, elegant form of running and cursive script.
His surviving work in these scripts shows a clear influence from both Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing (perhaps the two most influential calligraphers of the following Song dynasty).
The Song dynasty (960 – 1279 AD)
Song dynasty calligraphy is generally divided between its first (Northern Song) and second (Southern Song) periods.
This is useful for tracking most artistic trends, including those in running script.
Northern Song period (960 – 1127 AD)
Su Shi (1037 – 1101 AD)
The Northern Song period is seen as a particularly culturally rich period.
Its landscape painting might be its most well-known artistic accomplishment.
But it’s calligraphy, particularly in running and grass script, is well known.
A succession of great calligraphers appeared, each with unique styles.
Su shi (also known widely by his literary name Su Dongpo) running script is known for its compact forms and thick, balanced brushstrokes.
He studied the running-cursive of Yan Zhenqing deeply. In particular, he imitated Yan’s style in Controversy Over Seating Protocol.
Su’s finest work of running script is no doubt Cold Food Observance (1982) (see below for more information on this, ‘The three running script masterpieces’).
Huang Tingjian (1045 – 1105 AD)
Huang Tingjian was primarily known for his cursive script, but his running script was also highly praised and influential.
His running script characters were often tall, elongated and slightly tilted.
His running script was inspired by Su, who he considered the greatest calligrapher of their age. However, it is clearly distinct from it in being much more agile and vigorous.
Mi Fu (1051 – 1107 AD)
Mi Fu’s running script is his most highly praised style.
It contains both the feel and many direct elements of Jin and Tang dynasty running script styles.
This is due to his fanatical study of those earlier styles and recreation of their brush methods.
Southern Song (1127 – 1279 AD) and Jin dynasty (1115 – 1254)
The northern part of the Song empire was taken by the Jurchen-run Jin empire in 1127.
Over the following century and a half, each empire’s calligraphy largely followed trends during the Northern Song period.
Notable calligraphers did appear, especially in the Han-ruled Southern Song. However, running script did not develop in any new ways.
Yuan dynasty (1279 – 1368 AD)
Zhao Mengfu (1254 – 1322 AD)
Zhao Mengfu was the most famous calligrapher and artist in the Yuan dynasty.
He partially rejected the centuries-long dominance of Northern Song calligraphy.
Instead, he focused on pre-Song running script models.
This led him to formulating an elegant and powerful running-cursive style of his own.
However, the influence of earlier models is still clear, especially in the proportionate characters and use of alternating thick and thin strokes.
Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD)
Despite being a Chinese-ruled dynasty, the early Ming did not present favourable conditions for running script’s development.
A big part of this was due to the authoritarian (some argue tyrannical) rule of the early Ming system.
Literary inquisitions and forced appointments of painters were part of this. An official Ming Chancellery style was enforced across calligraphy, painting, and writing.
Later on, in the mid and late Ming, the freedom to innovate re-emerged.
Wen Zhengming (1470 – 1559 AD)
Wen Zhengming running script was inspired by Huang Tingjian’s.
He was also influenced by Zhao Mengfu. However, during this period of the Ming, there was a great revival of Northern Song-inspired running script.
In particular, many calligraphers spent time imitating the running scripts of Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Mi Fu.
Dong Qichuan (1555 – 1636 AD)
Dong Qichuan was one of the highest serving officials in the annuls of calligraphy history.
He was heavily inspired by Jin and Song calligraphy, particularly the work of Mi Fu.
And he had a complex relationship with the work of Zhao Mengfu (whom he later admitted to not having fully understood when younger).
Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911 AD)
When the Manchus took over from the collapsed Ming dynasty, it wasn’t the first time they had ruled Chinese land.
However, this time, they would go on to rule the largest Chinese empire ever seen.
Despite their strict regime and segregation between Han and Manchu, they worked with and not against Chinese culture.
Fu Shan (1607 – 1684 AD)
Despite the Qing government’s efforts (including imprisonment), Fu Shan never served under the new dynasty. He remained loyal to the Ming (who he had never served, either).
His running-cursive was particularly inspired by the word of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi and Yan Zhenqing. His style featured continuous stokes that gave his characters an eccentric but aesthetically pleasing appearance.
The three running script masterpieces
The three running script masterpieces (三大行书) refers to the three most famous running script works.
The following three running script works of calligraphy are some of the most famous of any script. Each one is similar in terms of its overall impression – the characters stand out for their elegance, power and sense of personality.
The content of each work is very different. However, they all fall within the wide range of subject matter suitable to running style calligraphy, which is a reflection of how universal it is.
Wang Xizhi’s Orchid Pavilion Preface (兰亭集序 [Lántíng jí xù])
Wang Xizhi’s Preface to the Orchid Pavilion (written in 353 AD) records a joyful gathering of literati for drinking and writing poetry.
是日也，天朗气清，惠风和畅。仰观宇宙之大，俯察品类之盛，所以游目骋怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。
– Wang Xizhi, Preface to the Orchid Pavilion
On this day, the weather is clear, the air is fresh, the breeze is warm. Looking up at the immensity of the cosmos, looking down at the multitude of the world, the gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses reaches its zenith, this is true happiness.
It philosophically oscillates between simple celebration and semi-lamentation.
况修短随化，终期于尽。古人云：“死生亦大矣！” 岂不痛哉！
– Wang Xizhi, Preface to the Orchid Pavilion
Or rather, not only that, all feelings, like all life, eventually meets its fate in destruction. The ancients said, “Life and death are weighty matters.” How can we help but feel sorrow about this?
Unfortunately, the whereabouts – or fate – of the original version isn’t known. There are rumours that it was buried in the tomb of the Tang emperor Taizong (b. 598 – d. 649 AD). Taizong, himself a keen calligrapher, was a big fan of Wang’s work.
Today, the most famous copy of the work is on display in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
Yan Zhenqing’s Draft of Requiem to my Nephew (祭姪文稿 [Jì zhí wéngǎo])
Yan Zhenqing‘s Draft of a Requiem to my Nephew was written in 758 AD, during the An Lushan Rebellion which took his nephew’s life.
惟尔挺生夙标幼德宗庙瑚琏
– Extract from Draft of a Requiem to my Nephew by Yan Zhenqing
阶庭兰玉每慰
人心方期戬谷何图逆贼闲
Since your youth, you were like a glazed ritual vessel in our ancestral hall, like a garden’s fragrant grass. You brought great joy to our Yan family, we looked forward to your good fortune. We never thought that the rebellion [An Lushan] would intrude on us here.
Like Wang Xizhi’s Preface to Orchid Pavilion, it’s not known where the final version of Yan’s masterpiece is.
However, the draft that remains is valuable in part because of the insight it gives into Yan’s calligraphic process. This brings a sense of authenticity to the piece.
The Requiem is a moving document that adds to the many great poems about this period. It laments both the unfairness of Yan’s nephew’s death and expresses a sense of stoicism.
Su Dongpo’s Cold Weather Observance (寒食帖 [Hánshí tiē])
Su Dongpo was an admirer of both Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing. Like them, he was also a scholar official.
He wrote Cold Food Observance in 1082. At the time, he was in exile for having criticised Song government’s radical reforms.
Cold Food Observance festivals were holidays in China until near the end of the Qing dynasty era (1644 – 1912 AD).
In the piece, he directly laments the isolated and poverty-stricken situation he finds himself in:
自我来黄州，已过三寒食。
– Su Dongpo, Cold Food Observance
年年欲惜春，春去不容惜。
今年又苦雨，两月秋萧瑟。
Since I’ve been in Huangzhou, three Cold Food Festivals have already passed.
Each year I regret spring’s decline, but spring’s rays are indifferent.
This year has brought endless spring rains, two months of consecutive autumn-like cold.
The tone of the rest of the piece is similar. Reading it, you may get the false impression that Su was a pessimistic individual. However, the exact opposite is true…
Su was known for his gregarious and amiable disposition. He also believed strongly that an artists’ work (including calligraphy) strongly reflects an artists’ character.
By that standard, the flowing, strong and spontaneous appearance of Cold Weather Observance capture’s Su’s spirit well.
How to translate xingshu?
The Chinese word for running script (行书 [xíngshū]) has been translated in a number of ways, including:
- Running hand
- Walking script
- Semi-cursive
The word xíng (行) in Chinese certainly is often used for the word ‘walking’ but not for ‘running’.
And there is another style, grass script (草书 [cǎoshū]), looks ‘faster’ than running script. From this view, the logical order could be:
- Regular script (static)
- Running script (walking)
- Grass script (running)
However, standard (/regular) script is a more direct translation script (楷书literally ‘model writing’). As is grass script (草书 literally ‘grass (/draft) writing’).