千万毛中选一毫
——“四德”一体，方为良笔
2014-06-05五花肉
文/五花肉
千万毛中选一毫
——“四德”一体，方为良笔
Restrict Selection for Brush Material——Four Merits Achieve a Supreme Chinese Writing Brush
文/五花肉
批柱法Pizhu Method毛笔体系Writing brush system“四德”Four merits
——北魏贾思勰（《齐民要术·笔法》）
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.
彩陶漩涡纹双系壶（马家窑文化半山类型）
考古显示，制作于四千年前的马家窑半山型彩陶壶上，一组“米”字型图案留有笔尖开叉痕迹，这是中国古代最早使用原始毛笔的实证。
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.
“上古结绳，易以书契”，尽管现存最久远的古代毛笔实物属于战国晚期，但史书载明，早在商代毛笔已成为中华民族政治、经济、文化和日常活动必不可少的工具。在其后数千年间，我国古代制笔业逐步形成了一套涵盖选材用料、制作工艺，乃至产品体系和质量品鉴的独特标准。
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.
仿唐代鸡距笔、仿明陈宪章“草笔”
仿战国楚笔、仿蒙恬苍毫笔、仿王羲之鼠须笔
选材用料方面，早在东汉、魏晋年间，人们遵循“三冬二分”选材要求，分清、分细在冬季采集的山羊毛、山兔毛和竹杆等三种毛笔制作原材料；制作工艺方面，王羲之《笔经》和北魏贾思勰《齐民要术》总结记载“批柱法”，成为延续千年的主要制笔方法。
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.
产品体系方面，在唐宋时期基本形成由批柱法、散卓法的制作方法和长锋、短锋等种类及紫毫笔、羊毫笔、狼毫笔等品种构成的毛笔体系。到明代，屠隆编著《考槃馀事》首次系统完整记载毛笔基本知识，并着眼质量品鉴，对各种毛笔性能提出总体要求，即“尖、齐、圆、健”，还总结记载了毛笔的造型和保养要求……
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".
时光荏苒，岁月如梭。尽管“助文人高攀丹桂、扶学士直上青云”的辉煌时代早已远去，但作为一门古老的手工制作技艺，毛笔仍将继续担当传承民族书法和绘画艺术无可替代的主角，为促进中外文化交流继续发挥出举足轻重的作用。
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.
（支持单位：上海市质量和标准化研究院）
