Four Treasures of the Study

By Caleb Malchik

The Four Treasures of the Study

文 房 四 宝     wén                fáng                 sì                  bǎo  language           house             four                jewel

The Four Treasures of the Study

The phrase "Four Treasures of the Study," also known as the "Four Jewels of the Study" or the "Four Friends of the Study," is an expression that originated during the age of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD), referring to the tools used in Chinese calligraphy: •     The Brush•     The Ink•     The Paper•     The Ink Stone

The Brush is the oldest of the Jewels, dating back to the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC).

Traditionally made brushes consisted of a stick with the hair of animals or babies attached to one end.

When powder from the inkstick is combined with water, actual ink if formed.

The Ink, usually found in stick form, was developed in the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD).

Paper is important because it is what you write on.

Paper was invented in China around 100 AD, although the Egyptians had been making papyrus for over 3000 years.

The Inkstone grinds the inkstick into powder so it can be mixed with water to form ink.

The inkstone also holds the liquid ink so it can be easily accessed by the calligrapher. If there was no container, the ink would just spill all over the table.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Treasures_of_the_Study http://www.chinesetoday.com/news/show/id/9689http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.godpp.gov.cn/yxzp_/2007-10/23/content_11468094.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEN0CzGv5-Y

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