There has been a saying that Montaigne made pens since ancient times, but there is no biography of Montaigne in history books. Only Zhang Hua's Natural History records Montaigne's pen making. Under the unification of the Qin Dynasty in 22 1 BC, Meng Tian was made a civil history because of his merits. This position has something to do with using a pen, because writing manuscripts, narratives and essays is the duty of a historian, which may also be the reason why Meng Tian changed to a writing tool. The natural history says "make" pens, but "make" doesn't necessarily mean invention, but it can also mean manufacturing.
There is a passage in Ma Su's Notes on China in Ancient and Modern Times, or it can be said that the Ming people thought that Meng Tiandu was wrong to write clearly. "Niu Xiang asked," If there was a book contract in ancient times, there should be a pen. What does the world mean by Meng Tianzao's pen? Answer: "I have been A Qin's pen ear since Meng Tian, with rubbings (also known as dead wood) as the tube, deer hair as the column and wool as the quilt, not a rabbit's bamboo tube. "That is to say, Meng Tian only used dead wood, deer hair, wool, etc. To make pens used by their state of Qin. Ma Su's annotation is similar to Cui Bao's annotation in Jin Dynasty, saying that "the ear of Qin Dynasty was made in Meng Tian ..." 。
In fact, before Meng Tian, there was a long history of writing in ancient times, such as writing "Erya Shi Qi" with "irregular pen". The Book of Rites and Quli have the saying that "history carries pens, scholars carry characters", and The Original has the saying that "Fu Chu carved characters with wood, Xuan Yuan wrote with a knife, Yu Shun made pens and painted books". There is a saying in the book that "the tortoise bears the picture, and the Duke of Zhou writes with the pen". In addition, it is recorded in the Warring States Policy that when she died, she told her son to "pick up a pen and accept words." According to the historical facts of respecting books and music, Xu clearly explained the original reason why Meng Tian made a pen in his Notes for Beginners: or at that time, many countries didn't have the name of a pen, only Qin had it, and Meng Tian even "damaged" (improved) the pen.
I'm afraid it's hard to find the answer to the question, only some people in the Neolithic age. From the appearance of ancient cultural relics in recent years, it can be proved that the calligraphy and painting on bamboo slips and silk books are all made of hairbrushes, and also hairbrushes made of bamboo and wooden poles, such as 1954 Warring States pen, which appeared in Changsha ancient tomb. The pen tube and sleeve (the whole pen is placed in the sleeve) are made of bamboo, and the pen tip is made of animal hair, which can be rabbit hair. The pen is 2 1 cent long and the sleeve is 23.5 cents long. Obviously, the knowledge of gold wares in Shang and Zhou Dynasties was not written in hard pen. It can be seen that Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Shang Dynasty was written with a brush and then engraved. Dong Zuobin, a scholar of Academia Sinica, said in a case study of dating in Oracle Bone Inscriptions that cattle bones from 1400 to 1200 BC were written with brush and ink, but they were not engraved. In the same way, on pottery, there is also a big word written with brush and ink-"Sacrifice" on the Yin pottery piece unearthed in Anyang.
In earlier prehistoric times, painted pottery from Neolithic sites such as Yangshao and Xi 'an Banpo in the south of the Yangtze River had to be painted with soft brushes. Painted pottery with figures, birds, carts and wheels was also found in Gan Suxin's shop. Some scholars think that it is China's relatively primitive picture writing. In the past hundred years, many ancient pottery have been unearthed from the earth. By the Qin dynasty, more than 800 words of pottery had been collected, and less than half of them could be recognized.
2, the initial use of millibrush and pen tube
We only know from Oracle Bone Inscriptions and pottery that pottery uses soft brush hair, but we can't be sure whether it is plant fiber or animal hair. However, because the fiber of plants is not flexible enough, its capacity is easy to break, so its energy is less. If it's animal hair, what animal is it? There are still many unknowns about these problems. The writing brush of the Warring States period, the sand growing from the soil, was handed down as rabbit hair. As early as BC 1400, what animal hair was used in Oracle Bone Inscriptions and pottery? It is still unknown.
The word "pen" is auspicious, and it is found on both gold wares and Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Luo Zhenyu and others interpreted it as hieroglyphics, meaning holding a pen. We can see from the inscriptions on bronze inscriptions and Oracle Bone Inscriptions that most of them hold pens in their right hands and some in their left hands. Most pens are forked and some are not forked.
Most contemporary carpenters make samples with pencils. Decades ago, they used Mo Dou. In addition to ink lines, they also use the ends of bamboo pieces to make flat bamboo pens like silk. This pen can only draw straight lines, not write. When I was traveling in the mountains of northern Thailand and Indonesia, I saw that the words on the Buddhist Bayeux Sutra were even like iron lines, and the pen marks went deep into Bayeux. He also witnessed the people of Licen Island sharpen bamboo poles, dip them in ink and water, and make exquisite works. The tip of the bamboo pen is not forked, and it looks like a cone, so if the line is too thick after use, you can sharpen the bamboo pen with a knife. From this example, it can be inferred that the bamboo-wood sharp pen can be used for a long time, and the materials can be obtained locally, which should be similar to the original pen before the writing week, or there is a hard pen period before using soft pens such as animal hair.
Zhao Xihu, a Song Dynasty poet, said, "In ancient times, bamboo was used for painting." . It is recorded in the Collection of Legacy Records that Ren Shuben "cut Jing into a pen". "White Hole Six Posts" has "Yu Tan uses wood as a pen". "Southern History" also said that Tao Hongjing "took De as a pen and painted gray as a teacher". These records in the Wei and Jin Dynasties show that although writing brushes have been widely used, some people still use non-writing brushes. When British adventurer Stein 1900 to 190 1 was in Xinjiang, he found pens made of reeds and wooden branches sharpened in Khotan and Niya, some of which were split at the end of wood. According to inference, this is the last thing in the third century. This is true. Consistent with the records of ancient writings, it can also prove that hard pen has been used in the Middle Ages and can also be used in ancient times.
1932, the pen made in the Han Dynasty developed in the left, west and north directions. Instead of using a bamboo tube, it was made by holding the pen tip with four boards and binding it with two twines. Juyan also found some wool pens without tubes. Does this mean that when the glue pen is put into the bamboo tube, the paint is poor and the container is easy to fall off, so it will be tied with wood blocks for reuse? Or the pen before the Han Dynasty, with a round bamboo tube and a wooden clip tube?
Shan Wei, a great pen maker in the Three Kingdoms period, once said in his "Pen Classic" that tough hair is the first, soft hair is the second, and it is tied with hemp. When it enters the bone, it is "solidified with paint", then smoothed with seaweed and tested with ink, and it will not be destroyed. It can be seen that the method of making pens in the Three Kingdoms period is the same as now, and they can all be made into good pens. The round tube is easier to hold and use than the clamp tube, and the glue for fixing hair has also been improved. After that, the pen with the wool head clamped by the wood block was gradually washed away.
3. Modification of pen materials
The material of pen tube is mainly bamboo and wood, which has not changed so far. It's easy to use and handle. This is a real pen for writing books. In the Han Dynasty, the pen holder used by Tian Zi was "full", that is, the lower part of the pen holder was decorated with gold plating and precious stones. Before, the emperor's wife gave her a "paint pen" for the first time. There is a "glass pen" among Cao Gong's objects. Emperor Wu of Jin gave Zhang Hua a "rare pen". Liang recorded the beauty of loyal ministers and the seal of righteous men with "golden tube", "silver tube" and "spotted bamboo tube" respectively. Ou, the son of a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, likes pens made of ivory or rhinoceros horn, with raccoon hair as the heart and autumn fat rabbit hair as the wrap. It can be seen that since the Jin Dynasty, the types of pen tubes have increased day by day. Wang Xizhi, on the other hand, disagreed with this heavy pen tube. He said in "Pen Classic": "In the past, people used glazed glass and ivory as pen tubes, but there were exquisite ornaments. However, this pen must be light and convenient, but it is too heavy. Recently, some people have seen the remains of bamboo tubes and carved tubes with green paint. If you can play, why can't you have a good marriage? 」
The main function of a pen is to remember things. Since Wei and Jin Dynasties, besides being able to remember things for a long time, it has also increased the function of calligraphy art, that is, it must meet the artistic needs of calligraphers, which leads to the study of the quality of hair and the method of making it.
Wang Xizhi's Bi Jing said that rabbit hair was the best in Han Dynasty. The reason is that the extensive grass of Zhao's family makes rabbits gain weight after eating it, and their hair is long and pointed. The harvest season is better in August, tender in July and crisp and bald in September. The scripture also mentions that human hair is mixed with green wool. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the author was experimenting with all kinds of animal hair. In addition to the rabbit, green sheep and human hair mentioned above, Wang Yin's "Bi Ming" also mentioned the use of deer hair: "Calligraphy to Record" said that Wang Qian wrote a pen with a mouse; "Natural History" has the hair of a tiger servant (that is, nine raccoons), the hair of a pheasant, and it is hidden in the beard of a Taoist sheep. Now, the fetal hairbrushes circulating in Taiwan Bay were also made in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. There is a record in "A Tour of Yang Liyi" that says: "The Southern Dynasties have basked in writing, and Xiao Ziyun tasted books with a pen and used fetal hair with his heart."
After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, various animal hairs were used, such as wolf hair, scarlet hair, stone rat, mink, duck hair, pig hair, chicken foot hair and so on. And ox ear hair and horsehair are used as pen-making materials, which are not recorded in ancient books. It seems nearly a hundred years ago.
4. Two pen-making areas
The origin of the pen is different from the origin of the paper inkstone, because the paper inkstone is named after the origin of the original material set. Those who stand well and can't work well are the same waste. Those who stand well and work well but don't know the goods, especially famous painters and calligraphers can't become famous because there are not many famous pens recorded in the past two thousand years, but there are not many famous places.
Zhongshan Rabbit is admired by Wang Youjun, and Zhongshan is located in Freezing Water County, Xuanzhou. In the Tang Dynasty, Xuancheng was famous for making pens. Bai Juyi said in his poem: "There are old rabbits on Xuancheng stone, eating bamboo and drinking purple hair in spring." There is also "when writing in Xuancheng every year, the price of Zihao is as expensive as gold." The purple brush is expensive because the tribute pen is used too much, and it is difficult for people to buy it. Another reason can be said from the right pen, only in the Mid-Autumn Festival and August, rabbits are fat and long, which are most suitable for use, while Qiu Meng and Qiu Ji are brittle, and purple pens are less.
Xuancheng's pen spread to the Song Dynasty, and its reputation remained unchanged. "Avoid Summer Record" said: "The pen was written in Xuanzhou. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been handed down to the world. During the Pingjiayou period (1056- 1067), those who got Zhuge's pen have been treasured. 」 。 In the Ge Jia family, Zhuge Gao is the most famous, followed by Zhuge Yuan. Huang Valley said that there are land people in Syria and land Dayuan in partner States, all of which are famous players. After the Yuan Dynasty, Xuancheng pen-making gradually moved southward to neighboring counties, such as Huizhou and Xin 'an. There are Four Treasures of the Study in Liu Yan Zhai Bi Zhu: Chengxin Tang Zhi, Wang Boli Bi, Li Yanjue Mo and Yang Douling Lao Keng Yan. Xuancheng, Huizhou, Xin 'an, etc. They are all located in Jiangnan, Anhui Province, which is a famous place of origin in Four Treasures of the Study. They have been famous for more than 1000 years since the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Shanlian Town, Huzhou (now Xing Wu County), Zhejiang Province, was influenced by Zen Master Zhiyong, a great calligrapher. Since the Sui Dynasty, it has gradually become a place to make pens. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the name of Xu Anbi flooded, and the lake brush was nameless. Famous pen makers such as Feng Yingke, Zhang Jinzhong, Shen Xiurong and Pan Wenxin appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, and the villagers directly accepted their guidance and consultation. Therefore, the merits of pen-making have been greatly improved, and talents have emerged in large numbers. There is a saying that "there are many pen makers in Zhejiang", and the name of Hu Pen became famous, replacing Xuan Pen. Among Huzhou people, Zhao Ziang's words, Qian Shunju's paintings and Feng Yingke's pens are called "five elements and three musts".
Huzhou brush is famous for making wool, although it also makes purple hair, which has both hair and chicken feathers. Sheep wool was first tried in the Northern Song Dynasty, and then gradually changed. After the Yuan Dynasty, it is also possible to change the style and paper quality for the sake of calligraphy. People in Yuan Dynasty used wool quilts more, which contributed to the growth of the sound of Hu Bi, and Huzhou local land produced excellent wool quilts, as well as neighboring Shaanxi, Shijiazhuang, Jiashan and other places. This is also a good place for sheep hair. Xuanzhou is mountainous and produces livestock. The raw materials are different, which is the main reason why Hu Pen replaced Xu Anbi.
4. Another name of the brush and the ancient brush system.
After the pen becomes attached to the literati, it is inevitable that it will be called Tao or ridicule by the literati. Elegant people call this pen "Long Xuyou", "Eight-body Scholar", "Rouhan", "Truth Branch" and "Sister Qiao Xuanbao". Or in the name of Millie, such as, Pioneer, Mao, Mao Wenfeng, Xuanmi, etc. Or in the name of the pipe, such as Tongguan, Guanzi Wen, Guanzi Chengzi, Lacquered Pipe, Plain Pipe and Horizontal Pipe. Joke writers call pens "millicone", "poke goods", "pointed slave" and "hairy cone", and for used pens, they call them "bald friends retreat". Some people use the names of gods, such as Pei 'a and Changhua, while others use official names, such as Commander Zangfeng, Commander Zhongshu, Commander of the City, Commander of the Army, Commander of the Langju Clan, King of Heishui County, and the capital of Cizhou. It can be said that the pen is the most famous in Four Treasures of the Study.
According to 1954 report on the excavation of Zuojiagongshan tomb in Changsha, the pole length is18.5 c m, the diameter is 0.4 cm, and the hair length is 2.5 cm. The bristles are not inserted in the tube, but wrapped around one end of the pole, tied tightly with silk thread and painted with color. In the Han Dynasty, according to the "Juyan Pen" developed by 1922, the nib was supported by four boards. During the Three Kingdoms period, Dan Wei made pens. In his book, he said, "The method of making a pen is that the stubborn person is in the front, the boaster is behind, the strong person is the blade, and the trace person is the supplement." . The meaning of "tied to the pipe" here is not clear. Can be "clamped", tied to the tube, or inserted into the tube hole. Wang Xizhi's pen-making method said in his "The Complete Book of Calligraphy" that "take a fine brush, first copy it with human hair, cut dozens of stems, mix blue wool with rabbit hair, then wrap the root of the column with hemp paper, then take the fine brush and tie it on a thin cloth column, so that you can't see the column. But after that, it will be safe, and the wool copy will be nine minutes long. If it is repaired twice, it will be round and square. " This manufacturing method is to wrap the root of the column with hemp paper, then wrap it with bristles, and then "fix" it after making a pen tip, but it is not clear whether it is "fixed" in the pipe hole. Cai's "Han Shu Guan Li" includes "Shang Shu ordered his servant Cheng to give two red pipes". In the Collection of Legacy Records, Emperor Jin Wu made great contributions to natural resources and gave Zhang Hualin a pen container, which was also given by western Liaoning. There is also a description of the tube in Wang Xizhi's Classic of Calligraphy, saying, "In the past, people used glazed ivory as the tube. Although there were exquisite ornaments, the nib was easy but heavy." Inferred from the material of the pipes used in Shang, Han and Jin Dynasties, glass, ivory and horns are smooth and thick, so they can't be cut and clamped, and they are easy to slip when bound. It seems that there is only one drill bit as a pipe hole. Insert the prepared pen tip into the hole and "fix it with paint".
The pens made by famous pen makers in the Han and Wei dynasties, such as Mrs. Wei, Mr. Wang and Mr. Wang, are all improved Qin pens, and the method of inserting the nib into the pen tube has not changed so far.
Qin's brush is made of dead wood. 1975, it was buried in Hutian from the cloud dream in Hubei. Three hairbrushes were unearthed in the Qin tomb, which were also made of wood, but one of them was sharpened and was a servant who lived in the hands of the emperor. In order to remember things, the tip of a pen is often inserted in a bun or crown, so its tip is called a "hairpin pen". There is a saying in the biography of Han Zhao Chongguo: "An Shi used to hold a hairpin pen and served the Emperor Wu for decades". It can be seen that in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Qin Mubi was still used. Today's pen has no tip.