What are the four treasures of the study?

The four treasures of the study refer to: pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The name of "Four Treasures of Study" originated in the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and since the Song Dynasty, "pen, ink, paper, inkstone" refers specifically to the lake pen (Huzhou, Zhejiang Province), Huimo (Huizhou, Anhui Province), Xuan paper (Xuanzhou, Anhui Province), and Duan Yan (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, known as Duanzhou in ancient times).

The four treasures of the study are in detail:

Brush: The brush is an important tool of traditional calligraphy in China, and it can be said that Chinese calligraphy is the product of the development of the brush. China's brush has a long history, according to the archaeological excavation data, some of the patterns on the painted pottery far away in the Yangshao cultural site are drawn with a brush; During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, all countries generally used brushes, and the Chu State was called "Yu"; The state of Wu is called "unlawful"; The country of Yan is called "Fu".

It was not until the Qin Dynasty that it was officially named "pen", and it has been used to this day.

Ink: Ink is a black material used in calligraphy and painting. It was produced in a similar era as the brush, and there were similar inkblots in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Shang period, but the ink at that time was only a natural graphite.

China's artificial ink began about the Warring States period. The production of ink has always been very exquisite, the oil smoke is thick and black like lacquer, and the pine smoke is light and bright.

Paper: Paper is an important writing material, which is made from plant-based fibers. In ancient times, bamboo and wood were used as books, and silk was used in the Qin period.

The invention of papermaking in the Western Han Dynasty, and the improvement of papermaking by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty opened up broad prospects for the development of China's papermaking industry.

Yan: In the Neolithic Age, there were tools for grinding ink. The Tang Dynasty began to use inkstone in the current sense. The four famous inkstones in China are the Duan inkstone in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, the She inkstone in Shezhou, Anhui, the Taohe inkstone in Taozhou, Gansu, and the Chengni inkstone in Luoyang, Henan.

"The Four Treasures of the Scholar's Room" refers to pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and its name originated in the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in China.

Historically, the terms "pen, ink, paper, and inkstone" have all referred to different things. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, the "Four Treasures of the Scholar's Room" refers to the Zhuge pen of Xuancheng in Anhui, Li Tingguimo in Huizhou, Anhui, Chengxintang paper in Huizhou, Anhui, and Longwei inkstone in Wuyuan, Huizhou, Anhui. During the Song Dynasty, the "Four Treasures of Study" specifically referred to Xuan Pen, Hui Ink, Xuan Paper, She Yan, Tao Yan, and Duan Yan.

The origin of the name Study.

The name of the study room originated from the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the history of our country (420-589 AD), specifically referring to the literati's study, with pen, ink, paper, and inkstone used in the study, and was known as the "four treasures of the study".

In addition to the four treasures, there are pen holders, pen holders, ink beds, ink cartridges, arm rests, pen washes, book towns, water bowls, water spoons, inkstone drops, inkstone boxes, ink inks, printing boxes, cutting knives, stamps, rolls, etc., which are also essential items in the study.

The four treasures of the study room refer to the four utensils used for calligraphy and painting in our country, which are the messy and defeated pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The Four Treasures of the Study Room have a long history in China, and they were originally from the book "Cihai". In the book, the author calls the so-called study room, which actually refers to the room where the books are stored.

Most of the books are made through the four tools of pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, so there is a close connection between the study and the four treasures. When people think of the study, they think of the four utensils used to write books. When one thinks of utensils, one thinks of books.

1. Pen

There are quite a few pens used for writing, cheap, good-looking, inexpensive, and various. But among all the pens, the only one that belongs to China is the brush, so the pen in the four treasures of the study also refers to the brush. The ancients did not all use brushes to write, but brushes played an extremely important role in the process of writing in the ancients.

Whether it was calligraphy or painting, most of the ancients would have chosen to do it with a brush. As a writing tool, the brush renders the unique wisdom of the ancients, as well as the unique charm of calligraphy and painting, and also adds a unique charm. Although the brush is easy to use, its disadvantage is also obvious, that is, it is very difficult to preserve.

In order to overcome the difficulty of preservation, the ancients used a variety of materials to make brushes. Brushes of different materials belong to different varieties, including rabbit brushes, white wool brushes, horse hair brushes, and so on.

2. Ink

If the ancients wanted to write clearly, they had to use good ink. But whenever you want to write something, the most inseparable thing for the ancients is ink. Ink is a unique writing material in China and embodies the wisdom of the ancients.

In the field of Chinese painting and calligraphy, ink is an extremely important tool, and it also represents the wonderful artistic conception of the calligraphy and painting world since ancient times. Ink is extremely rich in connotation, and the production process is extremely complex. Only when the materials are pure and repeatedly processed, the quality of the ink can be better, and the words written can be better.

3. Paper

The most frequently used paper in ancient times was invented by Cai Lun. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai Lun suffered from the inconvenience of other writing materials, so he devoted himself to research and finally invented paper. However, archaeologists have found through the analysis of history that long before Cai Lun invented paper, major dynasties also tried to make paper.

For example, in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, some experts developed the hanging spring paper and directly used it for writing. It is precisely because of the invention and widespread use of paper that the ancients were able to record more wisdom on paper and pass it down to this day.

Fourth, inkstone

The so-called inkstone in the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone is actually a tool used for grinding. Ink, after it is finished, is often a hard object. In order to dissolve the ink, you need to add a small piece of ink to the inkstone, add an appropriate amount of water, and grind slowly to get the best ink.

Like other utensils, inkstone is also an indispensable tool in the writing process of ancient people, and the quality of inkstone and grinding techniques directly determine the quality of ink. This also affects people's handwriting skills, which shows how important it is.

01 Finger pen, ink, paper, and inkstone are the four types of stationery that are commonly prepared in the study.

The name of the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Room originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Historically, the "Four Treasures of Study" has changed repeatedly. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, the "Four Treasures of the Scholar's Room" specifically refers to the Zhuge pen of Xuancheng in Anhui, Li Tinggui ink in Huizhou, Anhui, Chengxintang paper in Huizhou, Anhui, and Longwei inkstone in Wuyuan, Huizhou, Anhui.

02 "The Four Treasures of the Study" refers to the four types of calligraphy and painting utensils of pen, ink, paper and inkstone, which is already a well-known common sense today. But where does the phrase "Four Treasures of the Study" come from? When did it originate?

But there is still an unfinished solution. For example, the statement of the "Four Treasures of the Study" in "Cihai" is like this: "In the old days, the general name for the four stationery of pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

The study room is called the study, and Su Yi of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote "The Four Scores of the Study", a "Four Treasures of the Study", describing the categories and facts of these four types of stationery. ”

03 Many of China's utensils are unique, which not only express the customs of the Chinese nation that are different from other nations, but also contribute to the progress and development of world culture. The most typical of them are the writing instruments known as the "Four Treasures of the Study": paper, pen, ink, and inkstone.

Paper, is a great invention in China, although the world's paper varieties are tens of millions, but "Xuan paper" is still a unique handmade paper for calligraphy and painting, Xuan paper is flexible, white and smooth, durable in color, strong water absorption, in the international "paper longevity millennium" reputation.

The brush is a unique writing and painting tool that is very different from the feather writing style of ancient China and Western peoples. Although pencils, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, etc. are popular in the world today, there is no substitute for brushes.

Ink is the pigment for writing and painting. The good ink made by Xi Chao, Xi Ting, a famous ink-making master in the Tang Dynasty, was appreciated by Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the whole family gave the country the surname "Li". From "Li Mo" to the world's famous. In the Song Dynasty, Shexian County, the place where Li Mo was produced, was renamed Huizhou, and "Li Mo" was renamed "Huimo".

Inkstone, commonly known as inkstone, is a tool for grinding pigments for Chinese writing and painting. In the Han Dynasty, inkstone has been popular, and in the Song Dynasty, it has been widely used, and there are many varieties in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there are Tao inkstone, Duan inkstone, She inkstone and Chengni inkstone, which are called "four famous inkstones". The ancient Chinese literati attached great importance to the inkstone, not only accompanying it all day long, but also using it for burial after death.

04 The Four Treasures of the Study Room are unique, which not only expresses the customs of the Chinese nation that are different from other nations, but also contributes to the progress and development of world culture and national culture. Today, China is in a new era of modernization. Understanding the excellent Chinese culture of the past is precisely to create a new culture for the future.

This is of great significance for enhancing national self-esteem and enhancing national cohesion.

Among the cultural and artistic tools used for calligraphy and painting, the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Room play an important role as the carrier of civilization, and they are the most loved and treasured by the literati.

The four treasures of the study are pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The pen in the four treasures of the study refers to the brush, which has been used in China for four or five thousand years, and still has an irreplaceable role until modern times. Ink is the pigment of writing and painting, because of its existence, the fantastic and wonderful artistic conception of Chinese calligraphy and painting can be realized.

In addition, paper is a great invention in China, and it has a wide variety of varieties. Among them, the variety called rice paper is a unique handmade paper for calligraphy and painting, which enjoys the reputation of "paper longevity for a thousand years" in the world. In addition, the inkstone was praised by the ancients as the first of the four treasures of the study, among which the "four famous inkstones" refer to Tao inkstone, Duan inkstone, She inkstone and Chengni inkstone.