This work presents PU Tzu’s transcription of Laozi’s Daodejing. The Daodejing draws upon everyday phenomena to illuminate the wisdom of “non-action, yet nothing is left undone.” Though concise in length, its philosophy is profoundly far-reaching. The text has been transcribed since as early as the Western Han, as evidenced by manuscripts unearthed from the Mawangdui tombs, and has continued to be copied throughout successive dynasties.
PU Tzu is not only a calligrapher but also a seeker of spiritual wisdom and enlightenment. He has long practiced meditation, mindfulness, and sutra transcription. His writings of the Amitabha Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Diamond Sutra are particularly admired. The Daodejing, with its poetic cadence and natural simplicity, resonated deeply with PU Tzu and therefore frequently appears in his works.
PU Tzu is best known for his large-scale wild cursive. In such calligraphy, writing transcends its function as a mere vehicle of information to become an outpouring of the calligrapher’s emotions. By contrast, the present piece reveals another dimension of his cursive practice. While it shares the fluid and swift brushwork characteristic of cursive script, it takes the form of modern cursive (jincao), in which legibility is preserved. This allows the viewer to engage in a direct reading of the classic text.
The entire work flows with ease and grace, its lines elegant and fluid. Though the characters vary in size and the ink tones in intensity, the rhythmic energy remains coherent and continuous, embodying a sense of “freedom within restraint.” In contrast to PU Tzu’s wild cursive as a stage for personal expression, this work invites the viewer to progress alongside the artist—enjoying the quiet rhythm with the Daodejing’s philosophy of nature and principle.