Kaishu and Lishu: Two Classic Chinese Brush Scripts

More than 2,000 years ago, a Chinese clerk dipped a soft brush in black ink and wrote a report for the emperor. The style he used is called Lishu, or clerical script. Hundreds of years later, artists smoothed it into Kaishu, the neat 'regular script' that Chinese schoolbooks still use today. Both styles are written with a brush, not a pen. The way you move the brush changes how each written word, called a character, looks on the page.

- How to tell Lishu and Kaishu apart by their shape - The four tools that Chinese calligraphers use - Why stroke order matters when you write a character

Lishu, the clerical script, became popular during the Han dynasty about 2,000 years ago. Its characters are wide and flat, as if they were gently pressed down. Calligraphers describe its long side strokes as having a 'silkworm head and a wild-goose tail.' The stroke starts thick and rounded, then lifts up and flicks at the end. Clerks liked Lishu because it was faster to write than the older, fancier styles.

About 1,800 years ago, Lishu slowly changed into Kaishu, the 'regular script.' Kaishu characters stand upright and square, with clear, separate strokes. Because it is so easy to read, Kaishu became the model for printed books, street signs, and the characters you see on a screen. When children in China learn to write, they usually start with Kaishu.

In Chinese writing, you make each character by drawing its strokes in a set order. Two big rules to remember: top before bottom, and left before right. Following stroke order keeps the character balanced and helps you write faster and neater. Even master calligraphers follow the same order they learned as children.