“书画同源”的观念最初是与宗教、图腾崇拜或巫术礼仪等活动有关的,它以图画所象征的某种庄严神秘,来促进部落集体的团结和精神上的激发。远在六七千年前的新石器时代,画在陶器上的图画如鱼、蛙、鹿、鸟、花叶、舞蹈等,是中国最早的绘画作品。而最早的象形文字,也是用线条画成的一幅幅小画,后来演变为现在使用的汉字。因为绘画和写字都用同样的工具,并且都是以线条为主。唐代美术史论家张彦远首先将这理论系统地引入中国古典书画美学理论,如他在《历代名画 The concept of “painting and calligraphy homology” was originally related to activities such as religion, totem worship or witchcraft etiquette. It promoted the unity and spiritual stimulation of the tribal collective with some solemn mystery symbolized by the painting. As early as six or seven thousand years ago in the Neolithic period, paintings on pottery such as fish, frogs, deer, birds, flowers, dance, etc., is China’s earliest paintings. The earliest hieroglyphs, but also with lines painted into small pieces, and later evolved into the current use of Chinese characters. Because painting and writing are using the same tools, and are based on lines. Zhang Yan-yuan, an art historian in the Tang Dynasty, first systematically introduced this theory into the classical Chinese painting and calligraphy aesthetic theory. For example,