Unlock the Art of Intuitive Calligraphy with Master Cheng Chin-fa

Cheng Chin-fa

Professional Calligrapher and Art Historian

Cheng Chin-fa was born in 1948 in Taiwan and studied Chinese History and Art History in Taipei. He trained in traditional calligraphy under Master Chuang Yen 莊嚴 at the National University of Taiwan and studied ink painting with Ye Shih-Chiang 葉世強. Over the decades, he has evolved from the aesthetic of Mi Fu ⽶ 芾 (1051–1107), known for his refined Running Script ⾏书, to an expressive and powerful style he calls "intuitive calligraphy" 直觀书法—a modern continuation of the Crazy Grass Script 狂草书 tradition.  This dynamic and seemingly chaotic style is inspired by the wild, expressive strokes of Huai Su 怀素 and Zhang Xu 張旭—Tang dynasty monks who turned ink and brush into instruments of transcendence. Here, the brush dances across the rice paper, not to convey meaning through legible characters, but to express pure presence, spirit, and flow.   As Cheng Chin-fa explains, the goal is not to write with intention but to let the brush be moved by an empty, unified mind. This is the highest form of calligraphy—where mind and hand are no longer separate, and the result is not meant to be read, but felt. In Chan/Zen Buddhism, this state is referred to as 真如 / 一如—absoluteness or totality.