Everyone who engages in calligraphy knows that it is very important to have a few handy brushes. When we choose pens, we will naturally choose pens with "four virtues" (see note), but in fact, the pens and bristles taken out of the counter are bonded with glue, so we can only check the "tip" and "circle" of the pens, and as for "qi" and "health", we can only check them after the pens are issued. We can look at whether the nib is sharp first, because all the pasted pens are sharp, so we can't choose too sharp at this time, because too sharp is probably the result of several nib sticks together, indicating that the nib is not neat enough. We should turn the pen holder slowly and carefully check whether the periphery of the pen extends from the root to the nib, and whether the nib is condensed by each stroke. Of course, we can't choose a bald brush. If the new pen is bald, it will be even balder when it is opened. When we turn the pen holder, we should check whether the circumference of the pen is complete, whether there is a defect or a concave abdomen. In addition, you need to carefully check whether the pen is thin and straight. If the hair of the pen is crooked and thick, it means the pen is not good. After writing, the hair of the pen will bend and stagger, the tip of the pen will not be straight, and the waist of the pen will bulge out, commonly known as "big belly", which is not elastic and writing is not strong enough. A good pen is straight. It can be a Qi Li, so it is healthy. We'd better go to the stationery (brush) store, because the store often allows us to open the brush and flatten the pen with our fingers, so that the nib is as flat as an oil painting pen. At this time, you can clearly see whether the length of bristles is consistent, and a good pen should be even and even. When writing, Qi Xin works together, and the strokes are perfect and free. Poor brush hair is often uneven, and when writing, it is often exposed outside the strokes at the turning point or the front. The ancients called it "thief hair". In addition, we can also check whether the pen holder is round and straight. We can scroll the selected pen on the glass counter. If it is round and even, it means that the pen holder is round and straight. If the pen beats rhythmically when rolling, it means that the pen holder is not round or straight. This pen is not flexible enough when changing direction.
Four virtues: The ancients had high requirements for writing brushes, which must meet the four standards of "sharp", "round", "neat" and "healthy". It is called "four virtues" in writing. Sharp means that the pen tip should be sharp, that is, the pens should be sharp when they are condensed together. A circle means that the circumference of a pen is far away and full, and it is conical. There must be no defects or grooves on a cambered surface, otherwise writing this surface will be short of strokes and incomplete. Qi refers to the brush hair, and the length of the brush hair should be consistent inside and outside. Sword means that the pen should be flexible and powerful. Press the pen and it will unfold; When the pen is lifted, it naturally returns to the condensed state. Inferior pens can't get together after being pressed, which means that they are hairy and unhealthy.