写意画

寫意畫

xiěyìhuà

noun

Measure Word

一幅写意画 fú

Meanings

1 xieyi painting
2 freehand painting in traditional Chinese style
3 expressive ink painting

Characters

to write / depict

idea / spirit / intent

Examples

HSK 3

齐白石的写意画在国际上很有名。

Qí Báishí de xiěyìhuà zài guójì shàng hěn yǒumíng.

Qi Baishi's freehand-style paintings are internationally famous.

HSK 7-9

他的写意画几笔就能画出一只活灵活现的鸟。

Tā de xiěyìhuà jǐ bǐ jiù néng huà chū yī zhī huólínghuóxiàn de niǎo.

With just a few strokes, his xieyi painting can capture a vividly lifelike bird.

Tips

culture

写意 ('write idea') is one of the two great branches of Chinese painting - the spontaneous, suggestive opposite of 工笔画 ('meticulous-brush painting') which uses fine outlines and careful coloring. 写意 captures spirit over likeness, often with very few brushstrokes.

history

The style flourished from the Song and Yuan dynasties onward. Masters include 八大山人 (Bada Shanren, 17th c.), 徐渭 (Xu Wei, Ming), and modern 齐白石 (Qi Baishi) - whose shrimp and crabs sold for record prices at auction.

Stroke Order

写 xiě

意 yì

画 huà