Why is it recommended that beginners use grid practice paper (book) to start practicing calligraphy?

1. Structural positioning assistance

1. Central Reference System

   • Use a cross to mark the center of the paper to help determine the center of gravity of the font and avoid writing deviation;
   • The diagonal lines form a "rice"-shaped grid, providing a visual alignment reference for stroke angles (such as the tilt of left and right strokes).

2. Space division function

   • Subdivide the square into 8 triangular blocks to precisely control the proportion of radicals (e.g. narrow on the left and wide on the right, shrink on the top and expand on the bottom);
   • It is suitable for analyzing the structural rules of regular script such as Ou style and Liu style, and strengthening the sense of balance of characters.

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2. Writing Training Application

1. Pen control exercises for beginners

   • Use cross lines to correct the starting/ending positions of the strokes (e.g. keep horizontal strokes close to the horizontal center line) to develop spatial perception;
   • Diagonal lines help you master the direction of angled strokes such as "hanging needle vertical" and "oblique hook".

2. Advanced structural adjustment

   • Observe the proportion of the font components in the grid (such as the scale of the three "木" characters in the character "森") to train the ability to arrange the font in a sparse or dense manner ;
   • Analyze the logic of the structure of classic inscriptions and calligraphy by comparing with the Nine-square grid (such as the balance of the steepness of "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription")

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III. Scope of Application and Restrictions

Advantages	Precautions
Suitable for both hard and soft pen writing	Over-reliance may reduce the ability to form words independently
Easy to check symmetry and proportion	It is recommended to use a grid or blank paper for cursive script practice
Reduce the "size difference" problem	Need to gradually transition to non-lined paper creation

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Summarize

Grid paper systematically breaks down the structure of Chinese characters through geometric grids . It is an efficient tool for beginners to master the rules of character formation, and is especially suitable for basic training in regular script and running script . Advanced users can use it as a review framework for glyph fine-tuning, but should avoid long-term reliance on it to maintain creative freedom.