Shodo and Chinese Calligraphy 書法 與 書道 - Vincent's Calligraphy

The term Shodo (書道 - the path/way 道 of writing 書) was a term frequently used in ancient China to describe the art of Chinese calligraphy (書法 - Method/Law 法 of Writing 書 ). As documented in the reputable book Dictionary of Chinese Calligraphy (《中國書法大辭典》):

"Shodo (書道) - To take the art of calligraphy as a means to cultivate one's character; via the practice of calligraphy, one is able to express and reflect on one's emotions, to elevate one's moral character, and to think and understand the meaning of life; this is known as shodo (書道)...Chinese calligraphy (書法) does not simply refer to the method or technique in writing individual words or characters but rather to the expressions of one's passions, personality, interests, moral character, physique, charisma, style, emotions and thoughts through calligraphy...as mentioned in one of the writings of a renowned Tang Dynasty Calligrapher Yu Shinan, "to grasp the essence of Shodo (書道), one must perceive and understand it in the mind but not by brute physical force." Ming Dynasty's Dong Qichang also wrote, "at the highest level (of calligraphy), one's spirit must not be absent.  To create an outstanding piece of calligraphy, one must inject one's mind and soul into the work and write with one's heart.  This philosophy is certainly not restricted to Shodo (書道) but applies to everything else that we do." Qing Dynasty's Bao Shichen wrote, "the essence and ingenuity of Shodo (書道) is temperament while being capable of scribing well the exterior physical forms is only basic and comes second."  Hence, all contend the substance of a person is the fundamental foundation in pursuing the art. The term Shodo (書道) originated a long time ago; it was a term used extensively and broadly in the Tang Dynasty when discussing the art of Chinese calligraphy. " Shodo (書道) was originally synonymous with Chinese calligraphy (書法), with 'The Path/Way (道)' guiding the techniques (技藝).  Later on, Shodo (書道) takes on a slightly different meaning with 'The Path/Way (道)' used as a guide to direct the principles (理) of writing; such is the essence of Chinese calligraphy." (Translated by KS Vincent Poon to English from original Chinese text in the Dictionary of Chinese Calligraphy (《中國書法大辭典》) p. 73. See notes below for original text and bibliography.)*

Today, many mistakenly believe learning Chinese calligraphy is simply learning methods to write better-looking Chinese words or characters, for the term 書法 is often interpreted as the Method (法) of Writing (書). This misconception arises from an incomplete understanding of Chinese calligraphy.  The epitome of the art is much deeper than scribbing good-looking characters, as contemporary Chinese calligrapher Poon Kwok Kin noted, "without good personal character and discipline, one is unlikely to produce an elegant piece of calligraphy (沒有高雅的品格操守,難有清雅的書法作品。)"(1,2).  Hence, the art of Chinese calligraphy is more appropriately represented as "Shodo (書道)" rather the current colloquial term “Method of Writing (書法)".  Alas,  “Method of writing (書法)" is only the technique while "Shodo (書道)" is the essential spirit of the art (「書法者技巧, 書道者精神。」) "(3).

*Original Chinese text in the Dictionary of Chinese Calligraphy (《中國書法大辭典》):

「書道: 將書法藝術理解爲一種陶冶情性的手段；通過書法的實踐，抒發和調節作者的感情，提高個人的品德素養，探索和理解人生的意義，是爲「書道」。...中國的書法並非單純的寫字技法，它的本旨在於通過漢字的藝術書寫，藉以表達個人的感情、性格、趣味、素養、體質、氣魄、風格、情緒、思想等精神因素...誠如唐虞世南《筆髓論》所言：「故知書道玄妙，必資神遇，不可以力求也。」明董其昌《畫禪室隨筆》卷一《評書法》曰：「總之欲造極處，使精神不可廢沒。所謂神品，以吾神能著故也。何獨書道，凡事皆爾。」清包世臣《藝舟雙楫》：「書道妙在性情，能在形質。」皆主張以人之質爲書之本。「書道」一詞，起源甚早，唐人論書著作中多見之。其義原同「書法」，蓋「道 」者，訓「技藝 」也。後漸改其義，以「道」訓「理」，遂得書之真諦。」