The character 永; yǒng; 'forever', 'permanence': its stroke order animated (left) and colored sequentially from black to red (right) |
The strokes numbered: where there are multiple numbers in an area, the strokes overlap briefly and continue from the previous number to the next. |
The strokes together and separated: sequence numbers, and stroke directions (red) |
The Eight Principles of Yong are used by calligraphers to practice how to write the eight most common strokes in regular script, using the fact that they are all present in the character 永; yǒng; '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 calligrapher's writing.
The Eight Principles are influenced by the Eastern Jin-era Seven Powers (七勢) by Lady Wei Shuo. Publications on the principles include:
- The Tang-era Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong" (永字八法頌) by Liu Zongyuan
- The Tang-era Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong" (永字八法頌) by Yan Zhenqing
- The Yuan-era Eight Ways to Explain "Yong" (永字八法解) by Li Puguang, which provides two-character metaphorical names
