Editing Eight Principles of Yong (section)

{{Short description|Demonstration of CJK character strokes}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Eight Principles of {{transliteration|zh|Yong}}}}
{{infobox|bodystyle=font-size:smaller;background:#fff;
| image = [[File:永-order.gif|150px]][[File:永.png|150px]]
| caption = '''The character '''{{zhi|c=永|p=yǒng|l=forever', 'permanence}}: its stroke order animated (left) and colored sequentially from black to red (right)
| image2 = [[File:Yong's skeleton.png|300px]]
| caption2 = '''The strokes numbered''': where there are multiple numbers in an area, the strokes overlap briefly and continue from the previous number to the next.
| image3 = [[File:8 strokes of 永-zh.svg|300px|'''The eight strokes''']]
| caption3 = '''The strokes together and separated''': sequence numbers, and stroke directions (red)
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| showflag = c
| c = 永字八法
| p = Yǒngzì Bā Fǎ
| w = Yung<sup>3</sup>tzu<sup>4</sup> Pa<sup>1</sup> Fa<sup>3</sup>
| j = Wing5zi6 Baat3 Faat3
| h = Yúnsṳ̀ Pat Fap
| tl = Íngjī Pat Huat
| qn = Vĩnh tự bát pháp
| chuhan = 永字八法
| kanji = 永字八法
| kana = えいじはっぽう
| romaji = Eiji happō
| hangul = 영자팔법
| hanja = 永字八法
| rr = Yeongjapalbeop
}}

The '''Eight Principles of ''Yong''''' are used by calligraphers to practice how to write the eight most common [[Stroke (Chinese character)|stroke]]s in [[regular script]], using the fact that they are all present in the character {{zhi|c={{linktext|永}}|p=yǒng|l=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 calligraphy|Chinese calligrapher]]'s writing.

The Eight Principles are influenced by the [[Eastern Jin]]-era ''Seven Powers'' ({{zhi|c=七勢}}) by Lady [[Wei Shuo]]. Publications on the principles include:
* The [[Tang dynasty|Tang-era]] ''Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法頌}}) by [[Liu Zongyuan]]<ref name=liu>{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Zongyuan |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B8%E5%AD%97%E5%85%AB%E6%B3%95%E9%A0%92 |title=永字八法颁 |series=全唐文 |volume=0583 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ sòng|trans-title=Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"}}</ref>
* The Tang-era ''Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法頌}}) by [[Yan Zhenqing]]<ref name=yan>{{Cite book |last=Yan |first=Zhenqing |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B8%E5%AD%97%E5%85%AB%E6%B3%95%E9%A0%8C |title=永字八法颂 |series=全唐文 |volume=0338 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ sòng|trans-title=Praise to the Eight Principles of "Yong"}}</ref>
* The [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan-era]] ''Eight Ways to Explain "Yong"'' ({{zhi|c=永字八法解}}) by Li Puguang,<ref name=li>{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Puguang |title=永字八法解 |language=zh |script-title=zh:Yǒngzìbāfǎ jiě |trans-title=Eight Ways to Explain "Yong"}}</ref> which provides two-character metaphorical names