明代學者潘之淙《書法離鈎》一書所表述的書法美學中心思想是“取法”與“離法”之間的辯證關係，潘之淙所描述的書法家從“得鈎”、“吞鈎”到“離鈎”的過程，展示出藝術修養的三段式規律：即立志取法→精通法則→離開法則，最後到達無法而法的高妙境地。這與禪學修養的三段式規律是密切相通的。

Ming-dynasty scholar Pan Zhicong’s Shufa ligou (Calligraphy Off the Hook)emphasizes the dialectical relationship between qufa (acquire the rules) and lifa (desert the rules).Pan describes a caligrapher’s three-step process from degou (on the hook), to tungou (master the hook), and to ligou (off the hook), which demonstrates the three phases of his artistic accomplishment: from adopt, to master, and to desert the rules and finally achieve the highest form of artistic freedom.This is closely related to the three stages of Zen Buddhist cultivation.