What are the four treasures of our country

The Four Treasures of the House of Letters are pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

In the southern tang dynasty, "pen, ink, paper, inkstone" refers to xuancheng zhuge pen, huizhou li tinggui ink, chengxintang paper, huizhou wuyuan dragon tail inkstone. Since the Song Dynasty "pen, ink, paper and inkstone" refers to Xuan pen (Xuancheng, Anhui Province), Anhui ink (Anhui Province, Anhui Province, Shexian County), Xuan paper (Xuan City, Anhui Province, Jing County), She inkstone (Anhui Province, Shexian County), Tao inkstone (Gansu, Zhuo Nyi County), Duan inkstone (Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, the ancient name of Duanzhou).

After the Yuan Dynasty, the lake pen (Huzhou, Zhejiang Province) gradually rise, Xuan pen gradually decline, after the reform and opening up, Xuan pen gradually regained vitality. As the hometown of Xuancheng, Anhui Province, is China's most authentic origin of the four treasures and the world-renowned "hometown of China's four treasures".

1, the earliest brush, dating back to about two thousand years ago. Western Zhou and above, although so far has not yet seen a brush in kind, but from the discovery of the prehistoric pottery pattern, the Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions, etc. can be found on the signs of some of the pen.

China's writing brush has a very early origin. According to the unmarked oracle bone inscriptions, there were primitive pens in the Xia and Shang Dynasties. If we look at the patterns on the colored pottery of the Neolithic period, the creation of the pen can be traced back to more than 5,000 years ago.

By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, all countries had already made and used writing pens. At that time, the pen has a variety of names: Wu called "BuLu", Yan called "F", Chu called "Xing", Qin called "Pen "

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2, before the invention of artificial ink, the general use of natural ink or semi-natural ink for writing materials. Prehistoric colored pottery decorations, the Shang and Zhou oracle bone inscriptions, bamboo and wooden documents, thick silk calligraphy and painting, etc. everywhere left the traces of the original ink.

Documentary records, the ancient ink torture (tattooing), ink rope (used in carpentry), ink tortoise (divination) have also used ink. After this long journey to the Han Dynasty, finally began to appear artificial ink products. The raw material of this ink was taken from pine smoke, initially kneaded by hand, and later molded, with solid ink.

3, paper is one of the four great inventions of ancient China. Even in the prevalence of mechanical paper today, some traditional handmade paper still reflects its irreplaceable role, glowing with unique luster. Ancient paper in the ancient paintings and calligraphy that have been handed down can still be a glimpse of its appearance. For a long time before paper was invented, people used to write things down.

According to the literature and physical data, the earliest people were using the rope to remember, when things tie a knot, things unraveled. Later on, the tortoise shells and animal bones were engraved on the so-called "oracle bone inscriptions".

After the production of bronze, and in the bronze casting inscriptions, that is, "Jinwen" or "Zhongdingwen". Later, the word will be written in bamboo, wood cut into pieces, called "bamboo and wood Jane", such as wider and thicker bamboo and wood pieces are called "documents". At the same time, some of them are also written on the silk woven products smack on the silk.

4, inkstone, also known as "inkstone", known as "the first of the four treasures". Because the ink must be added to the water hair grinding can call, and hair ink stone punishment is inkstone. Among them are pottery, mud, brick, metal, lacquer, porcelain, stone, etc., the most common or stone inkstone.

Can be very many stones for inkstone, our country is vast, everywhere is famous mountains and rivers, naturally, there are a variety of stones. Production of stone, there must be stone workers, so the production of inkstone places throughout the country.

The most famous is the Guangdong Zhaoqing inkstone, Anhui's Sheyan, Gansu's Tao inkstone, Shandong Lu inkstone, Jiangxi Longwei inkstone, Shanxi Chengni inkstone. Inkstone is concerned about: the quality of fine ground greasy, moist and pure, crystal smooth, texture color show, easy to send ink without absorbing water.

Some have milk, some have eyes, some have bands, some have stars, about the production in the mountains near the water is good. Such as the Duan ink stone out of the axe Ke, bathing in the Jiangwei Duanxi Zhukeng.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Four Treasures