Thousand Character Classic
千字文篆刻計劃

Ebix

Step 1: Polish and Prepare

The first step of carving is to smooth the stone and its surface.
Use #600 sandpaper to grind up the surface, then move on to #1000, #1500, and #2000 for more detailed work. Add water intermittently during this process to help smooth out the texture. When the stone surface becomes very fine, use #3000 and #5000 sandpaper for final polish.The stone has become a seal. It is ready.

Step 2: Write, words carved in the bones and engraved in the heart

Good words are carved with sincerity to express positivity and to move the soul. Words below such caliber are not worthy to be passed on.

Step 3: Carve, to be bold and conscious

The most important part of carving a seal is knife work. Be bold and stay conscious. There are many methods of carving; listen to your mind and channel your thoughts through the motion of your hands. See the engraving slowly emerge on the 1 inch square seal.  Inhale, exhale. Listen to the collapsing sound of carving.

Step 4: Check every stroke, every detail and make modifications

Be patient, check, examine and process every detail. Sand down the stubbornness, polish your merits, add in some personality, be well-read, be bold, stay patient, and work towards a positive result.

The process of carving is about self-fulfillment--it is mundane and requires self-discipline. Those who learn to inhale and exhale at ease can master the art of the carving.


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 果珍李柰，菜重芥薑 (guo zhen li nai, cai zhong jie jiang) is a phrase from the Thousand Character Classic, a Chinese epic poem of exactly 1000 words; each word in the poem only appears once, composed in four line rhyming stanza structure. The classic is based on Confucius thought and narrates a range of topics, including astronomy, geography, social studies, history, ethics and governance of the family.

 The phrase 果珍李柰，菜重芥薑 literally translates as: the crab apple and the plum are the most precious of all fruit; the mustard leaf and ginger are the most important of all vegetables. The phrase points to the health benefits that plants can bring to a person’s life.