祝允明（1461-1527）是明代吳中（蘇州）四才子之一，尤其在書法上的成就受到世人讚譽。明末書法的主要發展趨勢是創作的自由和規則的解放，祝允明作為改革草書的先驅，被認為是該時期成就最高的書法家。本文考察了祝允明書法的藝術階段，將其在各書寫階段上的成就進行釐清與分類，以此作為判斷其書法風格的基礎。祝允明被視為新興書法家，而作為傑出的書法家，不僅精通古人之作，且能夠融會貫通發展其本身獨特的書法風格。祝允明書法風格豐富多變，特以其狂草及打破傳統的思維而聞名。

One of the four most celebrated talents of Wu (Suzhou) from the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yunming (1461-1527) was most admired for his accomplishment in calligraphy. At a time when the leading trend in the late Ming dynasty was artistic freedom and liberation from rules in calligraphy, Zhu Yunming was ranked the period’s finest calligrapher and leading proponent of this trend-being the first to revolutionize the cursive script. Here, my research establishes and classifies Zhu Yunming’s achievements in the various styles of writing as a basis for judging his style of calligraphy. His background, philosophy, and influence on the literati style of Suzhou (national, economic, cultural, and commercial centre) during the Ming Dynasty will also be highlighted according to his three stages of artistic development. Zhu Yunming thrived on variety and change and was renowned most notably for his iconoclastic thinking. At the pinnacle of his art, we see the calligrapher - one who was not only well-versed in the scripts of several great ancient masters, but also able to synergize these forms to craft his unique style of the cursive script.