Whereas a picture can theoretically be drawn using any number of possible types of brush strokes, Chinese characters have become stylized into a fixed set of possible strokes. In other words, Chinese characters are drawn using 12 primary strokes, and these strokes form the basis of all Chinese characters. There are also several other, more complex strokes, but these are combinations of these 12 strokes, and we will not discuss them. Let us begin by examining the 12 basic strokes that form the basis of all Chinese characters. Of these 12 strokes, we will first examine the 6 primary strokes, and then we will examine the 6 secondary strokes. By understanding these, we can come to recognize how the ancient pictures have been altered to accommodate the available strokes.
The easiest way to understand these strokes is to observe the structure of the human arms, as the relationships of the parts of the arm form the basis of the stylized strokes that are available. There are 2 arms. Each arm has a wrist, which separates the hand from the lower arm; an elbow, which separates the lower arm from the upper arm; and a shoulder, which separates the upper arm from the body.
The strokes can be understood as being a picture of the left arm or the right arm. For each stroke, for each picture of one of the arms, we should consider the upper arm, the forearm, and the hand. For some strokes, the entire arm is represented, for others only the upper arm is represented, for others only the forearm and hand are represented, and for others only the hand is represented.
The upper arm and the forearm can extend along the same line, or the elbow can bend, such that the upper arm and the forearm do not lie along the same line. The elbow can bend a little, such that the upper arm and forearm for an arc, or the elbow can bend a lot, such that the upper arm and forearm are perpendicular to each other.
The wrist can extend the hand straight from the forearm, such that the arm and the hand lie along the same line. In this position, the hand can be open, or the hand can be closed into a fist. As well, either the hand as a whole or the fingers of the hand can bend away from the forearm, such that the hand or the fingers are no longer parallel with the arm.
When drawing the strokes of a character, there are 2 basic rules that we need to be aware of:
Rule 1: Strokes are drawn from top to bottom.
Rule 2: Strokes are drawn from left to right.