中國畫的表現(xiàn)手法之一。用墨線勾勒描摹物象的輪廓，不設(shè)顏色。白描多用于畫人物、花卉，著墨不多，氣韻生動。白描源于古代的“白畫”。一般運用同一墨色，通過線條的長短、粗細、輕重、轉(zhuǎn)折等表現(xiàn)物象的質(zhì)感和動勢。白描流行于晉唐時期，宋代以后自成一格。晉代顧愷之、北宋李公麟、元代趙孟頫等擅長鐵線描，唐代吳道子、南宋馬和之等擅長蘭葉描。白描也是文學(xué)創(chuàng)作中非常重要的表現(xiàn)手法，主要指用樸素簡練的筆墨，不加烘托渲染，描繪出鮮明生動的形象。古典小說《水滸傳》《三國演義》等多有高超的白描手法。

Plain line drawing is one of the traditional Chinese styles of artistic presentation. It features the contours of images sketched in black ink lines. This style of painting is mostly used in painting human figures and flowers. Although not much ink is applied, this technique can achieve a very lively effect. Plain line drawing originated from the plain drawing of earlier times; through variations in lines' length, thickness, pressure, and changes in trajectory, the artist can portray the texture and motion of images. Plain line drawing was prevalent from the Jin Dynasty through the Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, it formed a distinctive style of its own. Gu Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty, Li Gonglin of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty specialized in painting lines of perfectly even width like iron wire, while Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty and Ma Hezhi of the Southern Song Dynasty were renowned for their skill in drawing thick, wavy lines resembling orchid leaves. Plain drawing is also a very important style of in narrative literature. In this context it refers to a simple and concise style of writing, without embellishment, so as to produce fresh, lively images. In classic novels such as 'Outlaws of the Marsh' or 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' one finds abundant instances of a plain drawing style of writing.

引例 Citation：

◎白描畫易纖弱柔媚，最難遒勁高逸，今觀此圖如屈鐵絲，唐有閻令、宋有伯時、元有趙文敏可稱鼎足矣。（王穉登《〈維摩演教圖〉跋》）

白描所描摹出的畫作容易流于纖細瘦弱、陰柔嫵媚，最難表現(xiàn)遒勁有力、高古飄逸的感覺，而今觀賞此畫，用筆好似彎曲鐵絲一般[剛勁有力]，唐代的閻立本、北宋的李公麟、元代的趙孟頫可稱得上三足鼎立。

Paintings drawn with plain lines are prone to being overly fine or weak, often lacking a soaring spirit and vigor despite a feminine beauty. But today, after admiring this particular painting, I have found its strokes to be vigorous like bent wire. (When it comes to vigorous brushwork,) Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty, Li Gonglin of the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty were truly a Great Triad. (Wang Zhideng: Postscript to Korimaro Preaches a Sermon)

（推薦：教育部 國家語委 供稿：北京外國語大學(xué) 外語教學(xué)與研究出版社）