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Abstract

Abstract: The tradition of Chinese art has a tendency toward musicalization and hence toward time. Chinese calligraphy is the most typical art form that replaces music to shape our sense of time, as embodied by "shi", a concept of temporality in calligraphy. In Chinese calligraphy, "shi" is presented through the body, and thus temporality is embodied. The origin of the discourse of "shi" about Chinese characters can be traced back to Shuo Wen Jie Zi and Zhouyi in their discussions of creating Chinese characters, which have produced a great influence on the theory of calligraphy. As "shi" is a key concept to a deeper understanding of calligraphy, we can view Chinese calligraphy as an "art of gestures".

Key words: calligraphy, shi, time, body, creation myth of Chinese characters

Qiu Xinqiao. On "Shi" in Chinese Calligraphy: Time, the Body, and Origin[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2016, 36(4): 185-193.

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(1)正如郭沫若指出:“中国旧时所谓的‘乐'(岳)它的内容包含得很广。音乐、诗歌、舞蹈,本是三位一体可不用说,绘画、雕镂、建筑等造型艺术也被包含着,甚至于连仪仗、田猎、肴馔等都可以涵盖。所谓‘乐'(岳)者,乐(洛)也。凡是使人感到快乐,使人的感官可以得到享受的东西,都可以广泛地称之为‘乐'(岳)。但它以音乐为其代表,是毫无问题的。”郭沫若:“公孙尼子及其音乐理论”,《郭沫若全集历史编》第一卷(北京:人民出版社1982年)492。
(2)“合时”是合时宜,是与时代的步调保持一致,而作为一个具有“当代性”的“当代人”恰恰是不合时宜的。正如阿甘本把当代性看作个人与时代之间的一种特殊关系,它“既依附于时代,同时又与时代保持距离。更确切地说,它是一种通过分离和时代错误来依附于时代的关系。那些与时代太过于一致的人,那些在每一个方面都完美地附着于时代的人,不是当代的人;这恰恰是因为他们无法目睹时代;他们无法坚守自身对时代的凝视。”Giorgio Agamben.“What is the Contemporary?”Nudities.Stanford:Stanford University Press,2011.p11.
(3)张怀瓘在《玉堂禁经》中明确将“识势”定为人们进入书法的首要任务。见《历代书法论文选》(上海:上海书画出版,1979年)217。
(4)“人脸首先是接收器官的组合,而手则意味着行动。”福西永:《形式的生命》,陈平译,(北京:北京大学出版社,2011年)157。
(5)原文将geste译为“动作”,为讨论方便此处将其改译为“姿势”。

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On "Shi" in Chinese Calligraphy: Time, the Body, and Origin

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