Pen, ink, paper and inkstone are nicknamed "Four Treasures of the Study" or "Four Scholars of the Study". The former originated from Mei Yaochen's poem "Re-harmony with Zhangzhou Paper inkstone": "Four Treasures of the Study has been out of the second county, and he has recently enjoyed loving the monarch and giving it." The latter comes from Lu You's poem "Pen, Ink, Paper and Ink Plays": "The water is heavy and the guests are rare, and the four scholars in the study are dependent on each other." Because the literati cherished Four Treasures of the Study, they were given many nicknames.
let's talk about the pen (writing brush) first. The use of pens has a history of four or five thousand years in China, and it still plays an irreplaceable role today. Because the pen is the first in Four Treasures of the Study, there are many nicknames and jokes. The earliest book was The Book of Songs: "A quiet girl is a good girl, which makes me in charge." The pen is called "tube" here. Cao Zhi, on the other hand, called the pen "Cunhan", and his novel "Walking in the Dew" said, "I'm an inch tall, and the flowers are flowing." Zuo Si called the pen "soft and honest", such as the poem "Ode to History": "Weak crown is different from soft and honest, and it is outstanding to read a group of books." Han Yu even made a biography of knighthood, and his anthropomorphic fable "Biography of Mao Ying" said: "Mao Ying is also a Zhongshan native, and he sealed the Guancheng, nicknamed Guanchengzi, and tired of worshipping the Chinese book order, calling him Zhongshujun, and was friendly with Jiang people Chen Xuan, Hong Nong Tao Hong and Mr. Hui Jijun." After the publication of this biography, Mao Ying, Guan Chengzi, Zhong Shuling and Zhong Shujun became the elegant names of pens; Mr. Chen Xuan, Mr. Tao Hong and Mr. Jun became the aliases of ink, inkstone and paper. Bai Juyi called the pen a "millicone", so the poem "Send Micro" says: "The eyes are pierced like a letter, and the sharp front is like a cone." Lu You called the pen a "hair cone", and his poem "Drunkenness" said: "The post book rushed to report Khan, and directly surprised you with a hair cone." In addition, there are many nicknames such as "Long Xu You", "Mo Cao Du Tong" and "Mizhou Secretariat".
say ink every time. Three thousand years ago, ink came into being, and it was compared with pen. For example, "Zhuangzi Tian Zifang" said: "Song Yuanjun will draw pictures, and all the history will come, and he will stand by the bow, lick the pen and ink, and the outside is half." Su Yijian's "Four Books of the Study" in Song Dynasty quoted Tang Wensong's "Biography of Songzi Hou Yuanguang" as saying: "Yi Yuanguang, a Yan man, whose first name is Qingsongzi, is quite talented, sealing Songzi Hou." Yishui is rich in famous ink, so the ink surname is Yi, and the ink is black and shiny, hence the name "Yuanguang". The ink system is made of pine smoke, so it is called "Qingsongzi". In this way, "Yuanguang", "Qingsongzi" and "Songzihou" have become the nicknames or nicknames of ink. The ink is black and looks like a laurel, so it is also called "Xuangui". For example, Yang Wanli's poem "Chun Xing" says: "If you grind Xuangui's frosted paper quickly, you must float the ink stone to shake the falling flowers." In addition, Mo also has such nicknames as Wujin, Zugui, Longbin, Dragon Fragrant, Messenger of Black Pine, Protecting Pine Smoke, and Xuanxiang Taishou, which comes out of Tang Fengzhi's Yunge Miscellaneous Notes: "Xue Ji sealed nine tin for Mo and worshipped pine smoke.
let's talk about paper. The application of paper was later than pen and ink, and it came into being in the Eastern Han Dynasty. "The Four Spectrum of the Study Paper Spectrum" quoted Song's Biography of Good Hou as saying: "The white of the Han Dynasty, the mysterious word, Huayin people, often served Cai Lun to search and visit Leiyang, dedicated to the son of heaven, and sealed the Hou." The skin is white and paper can be made, so it is called "knowing white", also known as "Mr. Jun", which is simplified as "Jun Sheng". Paper is also known as "cloud fat" and "cloud blue", such as Mi Fei's poem "Send Xue Langzhong": "Like a tube, the axis reflects Rui Jin, and the jade forest is covered with cloud fat". Yuan Mei's "Poetry with the Garden" Volume 6: "I don't know how many heroic tears are in my chest, but I don't know how many blue papers are sprinkled."
say inkstone later. Inkstone was produced in the Spring and Autumn Period, which has a longer history than paper. "The Four Charts of the Study" quotes Song's biography of Jimo Hou Shi Xu: "The stone is empty, the word is silent, and the South Vietnamese are named Jimo Hou because of their meritorious deeds." So "stone in vain", "Ju Mo" and "Jimohou" became the nickname of inkstone. Inkstone is also known as "Shi You" and "Shi Hong". For example, Wang Yan's poem "titled Tong Shouqing Boya Hall" reads: "The stream is judged to be born, and the point will be a stone friend." Huang Tingjian's poem "The Cross Bamboo Painted by Old Huang Bin": "The clear window shadows the falling rocks, and the pine coal is lightly dyed with frosted rabbits." Su Shi called the inkstone "black and white moon", and his "Long Wei Shi Yue Yan Ming" said: "The fog hub stone is growing, and Wan Wan is black and white moon." The inkstone is shaped like a moon and is divided into two parts: grinding ink and holding water. The former is black and the latter is white, so it is called this.