Words are like the person they are (zì rú qí rén): Calligraphy or written words can reflect a person’s heart and express the author’s emotional changes.

1. Words correspond to human life. The tendons, bones, blood, and flesh of the characters reflect the author's basic skills; the spirit, energy, and pulse of the characters reflect the author's cultivation and quality. The words of a sage are gentle and mellow; the words of a hero are calm and resolute; the words of an extraordinary person are upright and free; the words of a scholar are handsome and beautiful.

2. Words are the externalization of the writer’s ambition. Words are written about people's will, taste and pursuit. Good calligraphy has profound meanings, from which the author's thoughts and interests can be seen, often clearly at a glance.

3. Words are the expression of the writer’s mood. The conception, layout, and changes of calligraphy works are the concentration of thoughts and feelings on the tip of the pen, which have not yet formed a solid image; while the shape of calligraphy is full of twists and turns, advancing and retreating, with a solemn appearance, and the brush strokes follow the author's thoughts and feelings. Movement is an idea that has already been seen in reality. Calligraphy is the dialectical unity of the invisible "heart" and the tangible "appearance".

4. Words are the expression of the writer’s emotions. When a person is happy, his heart is harmonious, and the words he writes are relaxed; when a person is angry, his heart is rough, and his words are dangerous; when a person is sad, his heart is melancholy, and his words are restrained; when a person is happy, his heart is depressed, and his words are restrained; Peaceful, the written words will be beautiful. In short, people's emotions, thoughts, aspirations and pursuits will be reflected in the expression and style of the words.

5. Words are a portrait of the writer’s character. Picking up a pen to write begins with or reflects human nature. If you are a person of high character, your books will be naturally elegant. If your character is pure, your calligraphy will be elegant. The word "loyal ministers and martyrs" is upright, resolute and thick.

Source: A famous saying by Yang Xiong, a writer of the Western Han Dynasty: books are like paintings from the heart.

Zhou Xinglian's "Linchi Guanjian" of the Qing Dynasty: Yu said that between pen and ink, the essence is based on people's atmosphere, and the same is true for calligraphy.