The "hard pen" in calligraphy refers to: fountain pen, ballpoint pen, dip pen, pencil, plastic pen, bamboo pen, wooden pen, stylus pen, etc.
The "soft pen" in calligraphy refers to: brush.
Introduction to the history of "hard pens":
During explorations and archaeological excavations in the last century, Western explorers and Chinese archaeologists have discovered more than 10 pens made of pens in western China. Hard pens cut from bamboo tubes, reed tubes, bamboo tubes, tamarisk and other materials. In 1906, the British Stein discovered a reed tube pen from the Milan ruins in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang. In 1972, Chinese archaeologists discovered a double-petal bamboo tube pen at the Zhangyibao ruins in Wuwei, Gansu.
From a shape point of view, these two pens are very similar. They are both finely ground with wooden materials, have sharp nibs and horse-shaped tongues. What is surprising is that there is a gap in the middle of the tongue of these two pens, which is double-petaled and pointed, which is similar to the tongue of today's fountain pens. In 1991, a miner discovered a Han Dynasty goblet, two copper arrowheads and a bamboo-cut utensil at the Han Dynasty Gaowang Sui ruins on the southeast bank of Haranur Lake in the northwest of Dunhuang City. The earliest bamboo-cone pen discovered in China so far dates back nearly two thousand years. Li Zhengyu said that there are records in Chinese history books that "ancient pens were mostly made of bamboo." This Han Dynasty bamboo-cone pen discovered at the Gaowang Sui site in Dunhuang falls into this category.
The pen is flat in shape, with one end flush and the other sharpened. Judging from the paint marks remaining on the tip, it has obviously been used for writing, which just confirms the historical fact of "writing on bamboo stiles dipped in paint" in ancient China. .
Extended information:
The difference between hard pen calligraphy and soft pen calligraphy:
1. Since the tip of the hard pen is made of harder material, its lines do not change as much as those of the soft pen. -Written brushes vary greatly;
2. Since the hard pens commonly used are mainly pens, the lines are much finer than those of brushes, so the fonts are also much smaller, even smaller than those of brushes. The small letters of the brush are even smaller;
3. Due to the material of the pen, the hard pen is easier to control than the brush.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Soft Pen Calligraphy
Baidu Encyclopedia - Hard Pen Calligraphy