千萬毛中選一毫
——“四德”一體，方為良筆

文/五花肉

千萬毛中選一毫
——“四德”一體，方為良筆

Restrict Selection for Brush Material——Four Merits Achieve a Supreme Chinese Writing Brush

文/五花肉

批柱法Pizhu Method毛筆體系Writing brush system“四德”Four merits

——北魏賈思勰（《齊民要術·筆法》）

Firstly,we shall use iron comb to tease the rabbit and goat hair to make them neat.Secondly,we make the brush tips with processed hair.Thirdly,we form the brush pillar centered by goat hair and use rabbit hair to make brush pillar neat and plump.At last,we shall bundle up the hair and fit them into the bamboo stick to make a writing brush.

——明屠隆《考槃馀事》

"Sharp;Neat;Plump and elastic"is the four merits in brush-manufacturing technique.

彩陶漩渦紋雙系壺（馬家窯文化半山類型）

考古顯示，制作于四千年前的馬家窯半山型彩陶壺上，一組“米”字型圖案留有筆尖開叉痕跡，這是中國古代最早使用原始毛筆的實證。

According to archaeology,the asterisk images in the pottery pots which were found in Majiayao with a history of 4000 years were the proof of earliest Chinese writing brushes.

“上古結繩，易以書契”，盡管現存最久遠的古代毛筆實物屬于戰國晚期，但史書載明，早在商代毛筆已成為中華民族政治、經濟、文化和日常活動必不可少的工具。在其后數千年間，我國古代制筆業逐步形成了一套涵蓋選材用料、制作工藝，乃至產品體系和質量品鑒的獨特標準。

The characters replaced tie knots in ancient China.According to historical records,in Shang Dynasty,brushes were the writing tools for recording politics;economy; culture and daily life although the writing brushes of the Warring States Period were the earliest existing one.In the history of thousands of years,Chinese people have developed a full set of standards for selecting material; manufacturing;product line and appreciation for writing brushes manufacturing industry.

仿唐代雞距筆、仿明陳憲章“草筆”

仿戰國楚筆、仿蒙恬蒼毫筆、仿王羲之鼠須筆

選材用料方面，早在東漢、魏晉年間，人們遵循“三冬二分”選材要求，分清、分細在冬季采集的山羊毛、山兔毛和竹桿等三種毛筆制作原材料；制作工藝方面，王羲之《筆經》和北魏賈思勰《齊民要術》總結記載“批柱法”，成為延續千年的主要制筆方法。

In selecting material,in period of the Eastern Han Dynasty;Wei Dynasty and Jin Dynasty,people abided by the rules of"Three Winter and two clearance".The material should be the rabbit hair;goat hair and bamboo sticks in winter and be processed.The technique of"Pi Zhu Methods"recorded in"Bi Jing"(written by famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi in Jin Dynasty)and "Qi Min Yao Shu"(Important Arts for the People’s Walfare written by Jia Sixie)were the manufacturing standards for writing brushes and has been still in use with more than 1000 years.

產品體系方面，在唐宋時期基本形成由批柱法、散卓法的制作方法和長鋒、短鋒等種類及紫毫筆、羊毫筆、狼毫筆等品種構成的毛筆體系。到明代，屠隆編著《考槃馀事》首次系統完整記載毛筆基本知識，并著眼質量品鑒，對各種毛筆性能提出總體要求，即“尖、齊、圓、健”，還總結記載了毛筆的造型和保養要求……

In product series,in Tang and Song Dynasty,Chinese writing brushes can be divided into long tip and short tip;and rabbit-hair;goat-hair and weasel-hair.In Ming Dynasty,Tu long wrote"Kao Pan Yu Shi"to summarize the knowledge of writing brushes including the quality standards.He proposed the rules for maintenance and four merits of a high quality brush,that is to say"Sharp;Neat;Plump and elastic".

時光荏苒，歲月如梭。盡管“助文人高攀丹桂、扶學士直上青云”的輝煌時代早已遠去，但作為一門古老的手工制作技藝，毛筆仍將繼續擔當傳承民族書法和繪畫藝術無可替代的主角，為促進中外文化交流繼續發揮出舉足輕重的作用。

The time slipped away.Writing brushes have been replaced by others pens as writing instrument for scholars and students but Chinese writing brush is still the tool for recording Chinese Calligraphy and painting art and will be playing a more and more important role in culture exchange at home and abroad.

（支持單位：上海市質量和標準化研究院）