Wen·Duan Honggang
The "Four Treasures of the Study" often said by the ancients refers to the four writing tools closely related to writing: brush, ink ingot, rice paper and inkstone.
I think there are three main reasons why modern people use the Four Treasures of the Study less and less.
First, there are many writing tools in modern society, which are very convenient to use. Pens, inks, paper and inkstones can no longer meet the writing requirements of modern people.
Secondly, modern people’s pace of life is accelerating and they pursue efficiency in doing things. Writing with a brush requires long-term practice to write well. Because modern people are not good at handling brushes and cannot write decent calligraphy, they are reluctant to touch pens, inks, paper and inkstones.
Third, the popularity of modern technological products such as computers, writing pads, and mobile phones has allowed people to write by operating keyboards or touch screens. The habit of writing with a pen has gradually become a thing of the past. People even use pens, Ballpoint pens are rarely used, and pens, inks, paper and inkstones are naturally used even less.
Pen, ink, paper and inkstone were essential writing tools in ancient China. Especially for scholars, literati, scholar-bureaucrats, officials and others, they had to deal with words every day, study the Four Books and Five Classics, and write poems and compositions. They have to review various petitions and documents, so these people must prepare pens, inks, paper and inkstones so that they can be used as needed.
After the "Industrial Revolution", new writing instruments such as pencils, dip pens, fountain pens, and ballpoint pens appeared one after another. The popularity of many new-style literati further reduced the space for use of pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
It is undeniable that putting out pens, inks, paper and inkstones for writing has a simple and elegant taste. It looks very tasteful and ritualistic. However, using them is really troublesome, as modern people pursue speed. , efficient and convenient lifestyle is somewhat incompatible.
First of all, you need to "awaken the brush", which as the name suggests means to wake up the brush.
There will be residual ink on the brush after it has been used last time. Even if it is cleaned in time, it is still difficult to remove all the remaining ink. The residual ink will stick to the brush. When using the brush again, you need to scald the tip with boiling water to completely spread it so that it can be better soaked in ink.
The ink needs to be freshly ground and used. Ink ingots are generally made into cylinders or cuboids. When you need to use ink, you must first add some water to the inkstone, then pick up the ink ingot and grind it inside the inkstone until you get the ink that meets your writing requirements. Some people like to use thick ink, so they need to grind the ink stick for a while and add a small amount of water. Some people like to use light ink, so they can use less ink and more water. Some people like ink that has been left overnight, which is black and translucent when used.
It can be said that grinding ink is a technical job that requires patience and slow grinding. It is difficult for impetuous people to grind ink that meets the requirements.
The use of rice paper is also very particular. Some rice paper "stains" quickly, that is, the ink spreads on the paper and forms an ink rhyme quickly. At this time, a slightly thicker ink must be used. Avoid, or when using light ink, speed up writing, otherwise, it is easy to leave patches of ink on the rice paper, commonly known as "ink pigs". This is a taboo in calligraphy, which greatly affects the overall beauty of the handwriting.
Generally speaking, the writer must choose the right shade of ink according to the characteristics of the rice paper, so that he can write handwriting on the rice paper that is pleasing to the viewer.
A brush dipped in ink once can write a few to a dozen words. This can only be achieved if you have a solid foundation in calligraphy. Compared with writing tools such as fountain pens and ballpoint pens, writing with a brush The efficiency is really not high.
In addition, it is cumbersome to use pen, ink, paper and inkstone together, which further squeezes people's working time and reduces people's writing efficiency. Therefore, pen, ink, paper and inkstone gradually withdraw from the stage of history. It can be said that it is a social crisis. development is inevitable.
Even many calligraphers and painters today do not like to use pen, ink, paper and inkstone. In the final analysis, it is because it is too troublesome to use pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Only some calligraphers and painters who pursue "classical feelings" still use pen, ink, paper and inkstone, which can be regarded as a kind of reverence and inheritance of traditional culture.