Chinese Calligraphy Brush Size Guide: Large, Medium and Small Script

Many calligraphy enthusiasts, especially beginners, often wonder about Chinese calligraphy brush size: How do we distinguish between large script (da kai), medium script (zhong kai), and small script (xiao kai)? What size Chinese brush should you use for each style?

Today, Qi Ming will share insights based on Teacher Huang Jian’s classification method from “Huang Jian’s Introduction to Calligraphy Course（黄简讲书法初级课程）,” combined with personal experience, to explain the differences between these three script sizes and the appropriate Chinese brush dimensions for each.

Understanding Script Size Classifications

In his introductory calligraphy course, Teacher Huang Jian specifically addresses the classification of large, medium, and small scripts. Since Qi Ming agrees with Teacher Huang’s approach, this guide will reference his teachings to provide you with clear standards for these script sizes.

If you’ve read Qi Ming’s previous article “Chinese Brush Parts Guide: Understanding Your Calligraphy Pen,” you’ll know that two main measurements determine a Chinese brush’s size: the brush diameter (the width at the base of the brush tip) and the brush length (the length of bristles extending from the handle).

We generally call brushes with thick tips “large brushes” and those with thin tips “small brushes.” However, whether you need a large or small brush depends on how big you want your characters to be.

Starting with Large Characters

When learning calligraphy, you should typically start with large characters.

According to Feng Fang, characters that are one cun in size are medium script, smaller than one cun is small script, and larger than one cun is large script.

Teacher Huang Jian quotes Ming Dynasty calligraphy expert Feng Fang’s discussion on the progression of learning calligraphy:

For large script (ages 8-10): Practice with copybooks like “Zhongxing Song,” “Dongfang Shuo Bei,” and “Wan’an Qiao Ji.”

For medium script (ages 11-13): Use copybooks such as “Jiucheng Gong Ming,” “Yu Gonggong Muzhi,” “Yao Gonggong Muzhi,” and “Yijiao Jing.”

For small script (ages 14-16): Practice with “Xuanshi Biao,” “Ronglu Biao,” “Liming Biao,” “Yuewei Biao,” and “Cao’e Biao.”

Learning calligraphy should indeed begin with large characters because they make it easier to understand brush movements and techniques.

Defining the Standards

However, large script, medium script, and small script are simply conventional terms without fixed standards. It’s like saying “child” – we can’t pinpoint an exact age that defines childhood.

Feng Fang mentions Ouyang Xun’s “Jiucheng Gong,” where characters are about one cun (one cun equals approximately 3.333 cm) square. Historically, this is called “cun kai” (inch script). Using cun kai as the standard, generally speaking, characters larger than cun kai are large script, and those smaller are small script. This is, of course, a very rough definition.

According to Teacher Huang Jian, large script should be at least twice the size of cun kai.

To be more precise, large script should be at least twice the size of cun kai – that is, two square cun. The fundamental skill in calligraphy is wrist movement, and the range of wrist rotation should be at least two cun.

This topic will be covered in detail in later lessons on wrist movement. (Qi Ming’s note: Here, I’d like to recommend “Huang Jian’s Introduction to Calligraphy Course” again – it’s truly an excellent calligraphy program.)

Based on one cun equaling 3.33 cm, we can determine that Teacher Huang’s definition of large script should be at least 6.66 cm square. Rounding up, let’s call it 7 cm.

Seven centimeters happens to be the most suitable character size for the medium-sized Qingquan brush that Qi Ming has customized.

Essential Brushes for Beginners

Teacher Huang then mentions that when starting calligraphy, you need two most commonly used brushes.

One is the screen brush (ping bi), and the other is the couplet brush (lian bi).

In this image, Teacher Huang shows a screen scroll. Regarding screen scrolls, Qi Ming mentioned them in “Nine Common Forms of Chinese Calligraphy Works (Complete Illustrated Guide)” – it’s a common calligraphy format.

Screen scrolls were originally used for folding screens. Screens often came in sets, such as four-panel screens consisting of four strips. Later, screen scrolls separated from screens, and a single strip could stand as an independent work. Like the screen scroll on the right in the image above, this is a work by Shen Yinmo.

Screen scrolls typically contain three or four rows, with each character measuring about two cun (one cun equals approximately 3.333 cm), equivalent to a large script character. The brush used for writing screen scrolls is called a screen brush.

This is a couplet, which everyone should be familiar with. You see couplets during New Year celebrations or at weddings and funerals.

Couplet characters are relatively large. For a four-chi (one chi equals approximately 33.333 cm) tall couplet with five or seven characters, each character would be about five to six cun in size. This requires a larger brush, called a couplet brush.

Screen Brush and Couplet Brush Specifications

So how big are screen brushes and couplet brushes? Let’s continue.

For regular calligraphy practice, we use this type of xuan paper. (Qi Ming’s note: Regarding this point, Qi Ming believes that handmade Maobian paper is also excellent. I discussed Maobian paper in detail in “Maobian Paper Guide: What Is It and How to Choose Quality Paper.“) One stack contains a hundred sheets. Its length is four Chinese chi, and its width is one Chinese chi – we call it “four-chi half-cut.”

With this paper, you can take one sheet and fold it. The folding method is simple – you can use a paper weight to press it down.

After folding twice, you get one square chi. Continue folding – two more times, then horizontally twice, then vertically once more. How big is it now?

After all the folding, it’s about this size – like a small square of dried tofu. Writing one character in this space would be about two Chinese cun (Qi Ming’s note: As mentioned earlier, currently 1 chi equals 10 cun, 1 chi is approximately 33.33 cm, 3 cun is approximately 10 cm, and 1 cun equals 3.333 cm). When you unfold it completely, you can see that this folding creates sixty-four grids.

If you write at this size, you create a screen scroll – we call it a four-chi screen scroll.

If you use four grids for one character – this large – then you can write couplets.

Visual Size Comparison

To help everyone intuitively understand the character sizes for screen brushes and couplet brushes, Teacher Huang uses a small dish and a large plate for comparison.

Screen scroll characters occupy about one grid, roughly the size of a small dish. Large couplet characters use four grids per character, about the size of a large plate.

So for calligraphy beginners, we need two Chinese brushes: one for writing screen scrolls (the screen brush) and one for writing couplets (the couplet brush). With these two brushes, you can handle the most common calligraphy works, from small to large.

The left one is a screen brush, the right is a couplet brush. These two are all you need.

Some shops sell matched sets of screen and couplet brushes. The two brushes have basically identical materials and craftsmanship, packaged in one box.

Teacher Huang’s own couplet brush has a diameter of 12mm and a bristle length of 40mm. His screen brush has a diameter of 8mm and a bristle length of 35mm. Both sizes fall within the range covered by Qi Ming’s customized Qingquan and Qingren three-piece Chinese brush set.

These are the Qingquan brush diameter and length specifications (the large Qingquan is approximately equivalent to Teacher Huang’s screen brush).

These are the Qingren brush length and diameter specifications (the medium Qingren can serve as Teacher Huang’s couplet brush).

Teacher Huang also mentions that some calligraphers differ from him, but many calligraphers use these two brushes as their basic brushes. For commonly used character sizes in calligraphy, whether for practice or creation, these two brushes can handle the most frequent sizes.

About Small Script

As for small script, Qi Ming generally recommends brushes with bristle lengths under 2 cm. However, if you’re a beginner, I don’t recommend starting with small script – unless you have professional instruction, that’s a different matter.

Important Reminder

Finally, Qi Ming wants to remind everyone: Large brushes can write small characters, but small brushes cannot write large characters. Generally speaking, using one-third of the brush tip is already sufficient – don’t force yourself to use the brush all the way to the base. If you’re interested in this topic, you can read the article “What Is the One-Third Brush Technique? Why Does Understanding It Mean You’ve Mastered Brush Control?”

That covers the classification standards for large, medium, and small scripts, as well as the corresponding Chinese brush sizes. If you found this helpful, please feel free to share it.