Yin-yang difference of seal

1. The so-called masculine style in seal script means that the characters protrude from the stone and the feminine style is concave. The characters or images on the seal have concave-convex shapes, but the ancient name is just the opposite, because the ancients called it Yangwen according to the seals and impressions printed on the pipa, while the yinwen presented on the pipa is Yangwen printed on the pipa and the seal.

2. Yang Wen is called Zhu Wen, but Yang Wen and Wen Yin have different usages. There are two kinds of stamps, Zhu Wen (Yang Wen) and Bai Wen (Wen Yin). When a calligraphy work is stamped with two personal names, it is best to have one for Zhu and one for Bai, and the two chapters are appropriate in size. When multiple chapters are used at the end of a paragraph, the order is to stamp the name stamp first, then the font size stamp, and finally Yang Wen and Wen Yin are given priority.

3. If we weigh the differences, in terms of printing color, ink is lighter, while white is heavier, and the ink color is elegant, which is suitable for covering ink to keep the harmony between the two.

4. The works with strong ink color are suitable for carving white characters, which makes the red ink color and black ink color form a strong contrast and set each other off.

5. From the point of view of calligraphy, most ancient seals were printed in white, with elegant and simple fonts and strong strokes. The turning point should be done in one go, and the yinwen is generally round, which will not appear bloated and delicate, but it will not give people a feeling of being thin. They are handy, natural and most afraid of affectation. Yang printmaking began in the Six Dynasties and prevailed in the Tang and Song Dynasties. The font is elegant and the strokes are exposed, but the handwriting should not be thick.