View source for Eight Principles of Yong

{{Short description|Demonstration of CJK character strokes}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Eight Principles of {{transliteration|zh|Yong}}}}
{{infobox|bodystyle=font-size:smaller;background:#fff;
| image = [[File:永-order.gif|150px]][[File:永.png|150px]]
| caption = '''The character '''{{zhi|c=永|p=yǒng|l=forever', 'permanence}}: its stroke order animated (left) and colored sequentially from black to red (right)
| image2 = [[File:Yong's skeleton.png|300px]]
| caption2 = '''The strokes numbered''': where there are multiple numbers in an area, the strokes overlap briefly and continue from the previous number to the next.
| image3 = [[File:8 strokes of 永-zh.svg|300px|'''The eight strokes''']]
| caption3 = '''The strokes together and separated''': sequence numbers, and stroke directions (red)
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| showflag = c
| c = 永字八法
| p = Yǒngzì Bā Fǎ
| w = Yung<sup>3</sup>tzu<sup>4</sup> Pa<sup>1</sup> Fa<sup>3</sup>
| j = Wing5zi6 Baat3 Faat3
| h = Yúnsṳ̀ Pat Fap
| tl = Íngjī Pat Huat
| qn = Vĩnh tự bát pháp
| chuhan = 永字八法
| kanji = 永字八法
| kana = えいじはっぽう
| romaji = Eiji happō
| hangul = 영자팔법
| hanja = 永字八法
| rr = Yeongjapalbeop
}}

The '''Eight Principles of ''Yong''''' are used by calligraphers to practice how to write the eight most common [[Stroke (Chinese character)|stroke]]s in [[regular script]], using the fact that they are all present in the character {{zhi|c={{linktext|永}}|p=yǒng|l='forever', 'permanence'}}. It was believed that the frequent practice of these principles as such when beginning one's study could ensure beauty in the [[Chinese calligraphy|Chinese calligrapher]]'s writing.

The Eight Principles are influenced by the [[Eastern Jin]]-era ''Seven Powers'' ({{zhi|c=七勢}}) by Lady [[Wei Shuo]]. Publications on the principles include:
* The [[Tang dynasty|Tang-era]] ''Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法頌}}) by [[Liu Zongyuan]]<ref name=liu>{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Zongyuan |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B8%E5%AD%97%E5%85%AB%E6%B3%95%E9%A0%92 |title=永字八法颁 |series=全唐文 |volume=0583 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ sòng|trans-title=Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"}}</ref>
* The Tang-era ''Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法頌}}) by [[Yan Zhenqing]]<ref name=yan>{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Zhenqing |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B8%E5%AD%97%E5%85%AB%E6%B3%95%E9%A0%8C |title=永字八法颂 |series=全唐文 |volume=0338 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ sòng|trans-title=Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"}}</ref>
* The [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan-era]] ''Eight Ways to Explain "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法解}}) by Li Puguang,<ref name=li>{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Puguang |title=永字八法解 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ jiě |trans-title=Eight Ways to Explain "Yong"}}</ref> which provides two-character metaphorical names

== Table ==
{|class="wikitable"
|+ {{Transliteration|zh|Yongzi}} principles (stroke components) by [[stroke order]]
!scope="col"  colspan="3" rowspan="2"| Principle<ref name=utf>{{Cite web |editor-link=Unicode Consortium |title=CJK Strokes |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U31C0.pdf |website=The Unicode Standard}}</ref>
!rowspan="2" scope="col"| Pinyin<br /> abbr.
!colspan="4" scope="col"| Name
!rowspan="2" scope="col"| Additional description
|-
!scope="col"| Tang-era<ref name="liu"/><ref name=yan/>
!scope="col"| Li<ref name="li"/>
!scope="col"| Modern Chinese
!scope="col"| Vietnamese
|-
!scope="row"| 1
| [[File:D black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇔}}
|style="text-align:center"|  D
| {{zhi|t=側|s=侧|first=t|p=cè|l=side}}
| {{zhi|c=怪石|first=t|p=guàishí|l=dot}}
| {{zhi|t=點|s=点|first=t|p='''d'''iǎn|l=dot}}
| {{lang|vi|chấm}}
| Tiny dash, speck
|-
!scope="row"| 2
| [[File:H black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇐}}
|style="text-align:center"|  H
| {{lang-zh|c=勒|p=lè|l=bridle|labels=no}}
| {{lang-zh|c=玉案|p=yù'àn|l=jade table|labels=no}}
| {{lang-zh|t=橫|first=t|s=横|p='''h'''éng|l=horizontal|labels=no}}
| {{lang|vi|sổ ngang}}
| Rightward
|-
!scope="row"| 3
| [[File:S black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇑}}
|style="text-align:center"|  S
| {{ubl|{{zhi|c=弩|p=nǔ|l=crossbow}}|{{zhi|c=努|p=nǔ|l=strive}}}}
| {{zhi|t=鐵柱|s=铁柱|first=t|p=tiězhù|l=iron pillar}}
| {{ubl|{{zhi|t=豎、竪|s=竖|first=t|p='''s'''hù|l=erect}}|{{zhi|t=鐵杵|s=铁杵|first=t|p=tiěchǔ|l=iron staff}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}}}
| {{lang|vi|sổ dọc}}
| Downward
|-
!scope="row"| 4
| [[File:G black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇚}}
|style="text-align:center"|  G
| {{zhi|c=趯|p=tì|l=jump}}
| {{zhi|c=蟹爪|p=xièzhuǎ|l=crab's pincer}}
| {{zhi|t=鉤、鈎|s=钩|first=t|p='''g'''ōu|l=hook}}
| {{lang|vi|móc}}
| Appended to others, suddenly going down, or left only
|-
!scope="row"| 5
| [[File:T black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇀}}
|style="text-align:center"|  T
| {{zhi|c=策|p=cè|l=horsewhip}}
| {{zhi|c=虎牙|p=hǔyá|l=tiger's tooth}}
| {{ubl|{{zhi|c=提|p='''t'''í|l=raise}}|{{zhi|c=挑|p=tiāo|l=lift-off}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}}}
| {{lang|vi|hất}}
| Flick up and rightwards
|-
!scope="row"| 6
| [[File:W black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇁}}
|style="text-align:center"|  W
| {{zhi|c=掠|p=lüè|l=skim}}
| {{zhi|c=犀角|p=xījiǎo|l=rhinoceros's horn}}
| {{zhi|t=彎|s=弯|first=t|p='''w'''ān|l=curve}}
| {{lang|vi|cong}}
| Tapering thinning curve, usually concave left (convex outward right) with fast speed as if skimming
|-
!scope="row"| 7
| [[File:P black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇒}}
|style="text-align:center"|  P
| {{zhi|c=啄|p=zhuó|l=to peck}}
| {{zhi|t=鳥啄|s=鸟啄|first=t|p=niǎozhuó|l=bird's pecking}}
| {{ubl|{{zhi|c=撇|p='''p'''iě|l=throw away}}|{{zhi|c=短撇|p=duǎnpiě|l=short slant}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}}}
| {{lang|vi|phẩy}}
| Falling leftwards with light curve
|-
!scope="row"| 8
| [[File:N black.png|25px]]
| {{bigdiv|㇏}}
|style="text-align:center"|  N
| {{zhi|c=磔|p=zhé|l=dismember}}
| {{zhi|c=金刀|p=jīndāo|l=golden knife}}
| {{ubl|{{zhi|c=捺|p='''n'''à|l=press firmly}}|{{zhi|c=波|p=bō|l=wave}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}}}
| {{lang|vi|mác}}
| Falling rightwards, fattening at bottom, where endpoint is "sharp as a knife"
|}
{{notelist}}

===CJK strokes===
{{Main|Stroke (CJK character)}}
In addition to these eight common strokes in {{zhi|c=永}}, there are at least two dozen strokes of combinations which enter in the composition of [[CJK strokes]] and by inclusion the [[CJK characters]] themselves. Most strokes are encoded in [[Unicode]] as symbols, to be used in [[Chinese character description languages#Ideographic Description Sequences|ideographic description sequences (IDS)]]. The standard characters names assigned in the UCS for these CJK strokes are based on initials of the modern Chinese names (romanized with Pinyin) of component principles with which they are recognized and drawn.<ref name="utf"/>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Vĩnh tự bát pháp.jpg|The principles, as shown in the Vietnamese book {{lang|vi|Nhật dụng thường đàm}} {{lang|vi-Hani|日用常談}} (1851), with their individual strokes
File:Page 41 of Ngũ vân lâu tăng đính tứ thể thư pháp.jpg|A section in {{lang|vi|Ngũ vân lâu tăng đính tứ thể thư pháp}} {{lang|vi-Hani|五雲摟增訂四體書法}} (1848), explaining the concept of the Eight Principles of ''Yong''
File:Vĩnh tự bát pháp.png|The Eight Principles of ''Yong'' depicted the calligraphy book, {{lang|vi|Tứ thể bút thức}} {{lang|vi-Hani|四體筆式}} (1869)
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[CJK characters]]
* [[CJK strokes]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eight Principles Of Yong}}
[[Category:Cultural lists]]
[[Category:Chinese character strokes]]
[[Category:East Asian calligraphy]]