Pen, ink, paper and inkstone are unique clerical tools in China, which are the four treasures of the study. The names of pen, ink, paper and inkstone originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Historically, the things referred to by "pen, ink, paper, and inkstone" have changed frequently. In the Southern Tang Dynasty, "pen, ink, paper, and inkstone" specifically referred to Xuancheng Zhuge's pen, Huizhou Li Tinggui's ink, Chengxintang paper, and Huizhou's Wuyuan Longwei inkstone.
Since the Song Dynasty, "pen, ink, paper and inkstone" have specifically referred to Xuan brush (Xuancheng, Anhui), Hui ink (She County, Huizhou, Anhui), rice paper (Jingxian, Xuancheng, Anhui), and She inkstone (She County, Huizhou, Anhui) ), Tao inkstone (Zhuoni County, Gansu), Duan inkstone (Zhaoqing, Guangdong, known as Duanzhou in ancient times). After the Yuan Dynasty, Hubi (Huzhou, Zhejiang) gradually became popular, while Xuanbi gradually declined. After the reform and opening up, Xuanbi gradually regained its vitality.
As the hometown of the Four Treasures of the Study, Xuancheng, Anhui Province is the most authentic place of origin of the Four Treasures of the Study in my country and is world-renowned as the “Hometown of the Four Treasures of the Study in China”. It produces rice paper (Jingxian) and Xuanbi (Jingxian/ Jingde), Huimo (Jixi/Jingde), and Xuanyan (Jingde) are world-famous and sought after by literati of all ages.
Extended information
1. The origin of the writing brush
Legend has it that the writing brush we use was invented by Meng Tian, ??a general of the Qin State during the Warring States Period. In 223 BC, General Meng Kuo of the State of Qin led his troops to fight with the State of Chu in the Zhongshan area. The two sides fought fiercely and the war dragged on for a long time.
In order for the King of Qin to keep abreast of the situation on the battlefield, Meng Tian had to write regular battle reports and deliver them to the King of Qin. At that time, people usually dipped their sticks in ink and then wrote on silk cloth. The writing speed was very slow. Although Meng Tian was a military general, he was full of literary talent. Writing battle reports with the kind of pen mentioned above often makes him feel that it affects his thoughts.
That kind of pen is hard. If the ink is dipped in too little, you will have to stop and dip it again after writing a few words. If the ink is dipped in too much, it will drip down and stain the very precious silk. Dirty. Meng Tian had had the idea of ??modifying his pen before, but this time he had to write a large number of battle reports, so his desire became stronger and stronger.
During the break between wars, Meng Tian liked to go hunting in the wild. One day, he shot some wild rabbits and returned to the military camp. Because there were so many rabbits shot, it was heavy to carry in my hand. One rabbit was hugged by its tail on the ground, and the blood left a curved trace on the ground. When Meng Tian saw it, he couldn't help but think: "Wouldn't it be better if I used a rabbit tail instead of an ordinary pen to write?"
After returning to the barracks, Meng Tian immediately cut off a rabbit tail and inserted it in I tried to use it to write on a bamboo tube, but the rabbit fur was shiny and did not absorb ink. The words written on the silk were intermittent and did not look good. Meng Tian tried several more times, but it still didn't work, and the good piece of silk was wasted. In a rage, he threw the "rabbit hair pen" into the rock pit in front of the door.
Meng Tian was not resigned to failure and still found time to think about other ways to improve. A few days passed, and he still didn't find a suitable solution. On this day, he walked out of the barracks and wanted to get some fresh air. When he walked through the rock pit, he saw the "rabbit hair pen" that he had thrown away in the pit. Meng Tian picked it up and pinched the rabbit fur with his fingers. He found that the rabbit fur was moist and became whiter and softer.
Meng Tian was so inspired that he immediately ran back to the barracks and dipped it into the ink. At this time, the rabbit tail became very "obedient", sucked up enough ink, and wrote very smoothly, and the font was also beautiful. Looks rounded.
It turns out that the water in the rock pit contains lime. After being soaked in alkaline water, the rabbit fur becomes softer. Since the pen was made of bamboo tube and rabbit hair, Meng Tian added the prefix "bamboo" to the then popular pen name "Xing" and called it "Bamboo" (today's abbreviation is "Bi").
2. The origin of ink
Before the invention of artificial ink, natural ink or semi-natural ink was generally used as writing materials. Prehistoric painted pottery patterns, oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, bamboo and wood slips, silk calligraphy and painting, etc., leave traces of the original use of ink everywhere. Documents record that ink was also used in ancient ink punishment (tattooing), ink rope (used in carpentry), and ink turtle (divination).
After this long process, in the Han Dynasty, artificial ink products finally began to appear. The raw material of this ink is taken from pine tobacco. It was first kneaded by hand and later molded. The ink is solid.
According to the records of "Han Guan Yi" written by Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Shang Shu Ling, Pu, Cheng and Lang, gave Yu Mi a big ink and a small ink to Yu Mi every month." Yu Mi in today's Shaanxi Province Qianyang County in the province is close to Zhongnan Mountain. There are many ancient pines in the mountain, which are very famous for the smoke material used to make ink.
From the making of cigarette materials to the final product, there are multiple processes such as glue filling, mixing, steaming and pestle, and there is also a molding process. The carving of ink molds is an important process and an artistic creative process.
The shapes of ink generally include square, rectangular, round, elliptical, irregular, etc. The ink mold is generally composed of six pieces: front, back, upper, lower, left and right. A round or idol-shaped ink mold only needs four or two plates.
Built-in ink, close the hammer tightly to smash the finished product. The logo is mostly engraved on the side so that it can be easily replaced when the ink mold is reused. The appearance of ink is diverse and can be divided into natural ink, lacquered ink, gold rinse ink and lacquered edge ink.
3. The origin of paper
Paper is one of the four great inventions in ancient China. Even today when machine-made paper is prevalent, some traditional handmade papers still play an irreplaceable role and shine with their unique brilliance.
The appearance of ancient paper can still be seen in the ancient calligraphy and paintings that have been handed down. For a long time before the invention of paper, what did people use as note-taking materials?
According to literature and physical data, the earliest people used knotted ropes to remember things. When something happened, tie a knot and solve the problem. Later, inscriptions were engraved on turtle shells and animal bones, so-called "oracle bone inscriptions". After the creation of bronze, inscriptions were engraved on bronze vessels, namely "inscriptions on bronze" or "inscriptions on bells and tripods". Then, the characters were written on pieces cut from bamboo or wood, which were called "bamboo slips", and thicker bamboo slips were called "slips".
At the same time, some are also written on silk products. Before the pre-Qin Dynasty, in addition to the above record materials, texts carved on stones were also found, such as the famous "Stone Drum Inscriptions". As everyone knows, paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, archaeological excavations have raised questions about this. These ancient papers are named according to the place where they were unearthed.
From the chronological order of the unearthed ancient papers themselves, they can be arranged as follows: Fangmatan paper in the early Western Han Dynasty, Baqiao paper, Xuanquan paper, Maquanwan paper and Juyan paper in the middle Western Han Dynasty. Late dry flat slope paper. Not only are these papers earlier than Cai Lun paper, but some of them also have ink marks on them, indicating that they have been used for writing documents.
In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, politics was stable, ideology and culture were very active, and there was a strong demand for communication tools. Paper emerged as a new writing material. Judging from the archaeological discoveries so far, papermaking was invented no later than the early Western Han Dynasty. The earliest ancient paper of the Western Han Dynasty unearthed was found in the ancient beacon pavilion in Luobu Nuoer, Xinjiang in 1933, and the date was no later than 49 BC.
Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty improved papermaking technology, popularized writing tools, and made outstanding contributions to the spread of world culture. With the progress of archaeological work along the Northwest Silk Road, many Western Han Dynasty sites and tombs have been discovered, including paper relics.
4. The origin of inkstones
Archaeologists once discovered a set of primitive people's pottery paintings in a primitive society site in Jiangzhai, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. Among the tools, there is a stone inkstone with a cover and a slightly concave surface. There is a stone pestle in the concave area. There are several pieces of black pigment remaining next to the inkstone. Obviously, this is the shape of early inkstones that ancestors used to grind pigments with the help of pestles.
Since this site belongs to the Yangshao culture of the matrilineal clan period, the actual lifespan of this square inkstone exceeds 5,000 Spring and Autumn Periods. When did the shape of the inkstone, which comes with a pestle or grinding stone, begin to change, that is, the pestle or grinding stone is eliminated, and it becomes closer to an inkstone? Until the Han Dynasty.
Due to the invention of artificial ink making in the Han Dynasty, ink can be ground directly on an inkstone, so there is no need to use a pestle or grinding stone to grind natural or semi-natural ink. From this point of view, the grinding pestle or grinding stone gradually disappeared after a long journey of more than 3,000 years in prehistory and Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Although it is no longer in use today, its contribution to the spread of culture is still indispensable. .
Baidu Encyclopedia - Pen, Ink, Paper and Inkstone