鐵畫銀鈎通利劍之鋒芒――中國字的「力」與「美」

The Strength and Artistic Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy

中國古代有許多「書法」能通於「劍術」的描述，如張懷璀認為：書法結體的神妙之處，能讓觀者覺得「似入廟見神，如窺谷無底，俯猛獸之牙爪，逼利劍之鋒芒。歷代書法家們，有時勁健剛烈，用筆如刀，鋒芒畢露；有時又敦厚質樸，蘊意深藏，餘味無窮。這種變幻無窮，各具剛勁、柔媚、鋒利、深韻等不同風貌，就成了中國字蘊育武藝美學的基本條件。
有了深厚的功力，書法當然也就具備一股凌人的氣勢，難怪有書家以拳喻字說：「王羲之行草傾向儒士風韻，如八卦掌；米芾則有狂士風格，如劈卦掌；而趙之謙把篆隸魏碑，寫出了動感，如八極拳，其驚心動魄、略為怪異且沉雄靜穆的字，令人神馳。」可知在書法家的眼中，劍招、拳術與書法，真的是可以相通的。

In ancient China, there were many stories in which people who were good at calligraphy were also good at swordsmanship. In the eyes of calligraphers, the movements of Chinese swordsmanship and boxing are very much like the strokes in calligraphy. Itis noted that many calligraphers with g wrists can write with powerful strokes. Therefore, many calligraphers would movements of Chinese boxing to the strokes in calligraphy.
The most amazing scene in Jin Yong's chivalry novels is that the first master of Wudang School, Chang San-Feng, acted out the twenty-four-word rhyme in movements of Chinese boxing. The master's follower Chang Cui-Shan even conceived a wonderful idea to store in memory the great variety of strokes in the twenty-four words and then to convert them into a set of fine swordsmanship.
In fact, the art of calligraphy can be affected by the powerful movements of chivalry, which, in turn, are derived from the beautiful dancing postures of the ancient people. Or it can be the other way around: it has been observed that the dancing movements in the dance drama Legacy by Cloud Gate Dance Theater are actually derived from the strokes in calligraphy.