Running Script: moisten the brush, Hanging Scroll
Zheng Xie
Qing Dynasty
- MEDIUM:Ink on paper
- FORMATS:Hanging scroll
- DIMENSIONS:Height 90.5 cm; Width 47 cm
Introduction
This work is a representative example of Zheng Xie’s unique “Six-and-a-Half Script”, a fusion of clerical and semi-cursive styles of script. The composition alternates between density and openness, the strokes combine firmness with suppleness, and the overall layout resembles “paving a street with scattered stones.”
Here, “Moisten the Brush” (bi run) refers to the fee for writing, painting, or composing. Zheng humorously listed his rates in silver: “Six taels for a large scroll, four for a medium one, two for a small; one tael for a couplet; five mace for a fan or square piece. Gifts or food are never as good as silver.” By openly “pricing” his art, Zheng wittily revealed the reality of making a living from one’s craft—a groundbreaking move that reflected how economic value began to shape the world of literati painting.
