What is the origin of the brush? Who invented it?

As a traditional writing tool originating from China, the brush has played a great role in the development of ancient history and literature in China. During the Qin and Han dynasties, people mostly used knives to carve characters on bamboo pieces, which took a long time and was extremely inconvenient. However, the situation of the border war is changing rapidly, and there is a great demand for transporting documents. So soldier Meng Tian tore off some red tassels and tied them to a pole, dipped them in colored pens, which was the earliest writing brush.

First, the function and production process of the brush The brush can be used not only to write Chinese characters, but also as the main tool of traditional painting in China. In traditional painting, whether it is meticulous painting or freehand painting, painters basically use brush to outline lines and shape the physical structure of paintings; On the other hand, brushes can also be used to render and depict objects. The nib is mostly wool, rabbit hair and the like. Pen holders are mostly made of bamboo, or mahogany, ivory and jade. The process of making a brush is complicated, including material selection, degreasing, carding, head tying, plate loading and other procedures. In order to show the luxury and elegance of the brush, some craftsmen will also decorate the brush, such as carving, inlaying, pinching silk and making relief on the pen holder.

Second, the types of brush There are many types of brush, and there are many classification basis. According to the shape of the brush, it can be divided into pointed and round. If classified by strokes, it can be divided into short strokes, middle strokes and long strokes. If the raw materials of the writing head are used as the classification basis, the brush can be divided into wolf hair, purple hair, rabbit hair, wool and so on. Wolf hair, wool and rabbit brush are of good quality. Sheep's brush is soft, while wolves' brush is vigorous. In addition, the wolf hair here refers to a pen made of weasel hair.

Modern people mostly write with pens and gel pens. As a matter of fact, calligraphy, as one of the treasures of traditional culture in China, cannot be discarded. Practicing soft pen calligraphy is not only the inheritance of excellent culture, but also the cultivation of self-cultivation. Moreover, good calligraphy shows the character of the calligrapher. Learning soft pen calligraphy well is also beneficial to hard pen calligraphy.