부산대학교 도서관

See also China. Chinese brushes, sometimes referred to as pens, are writing and painting instruments made from animal hair (deer, goat, rabbit, fox, or wolf), bird feathers, or human hair. They stand in tiered 'pen mountains' or in brushpots, hang from penracks, or are kept in penboxes. Brush, paper, ink, and inkstone are called collectively the Four Treasures of the Study (wenfang si bao; see also Scholar’s table). The brush-head is made up of 'heart' (or 'pillar') bristles surrounded by a 'skirt,' with an outer layer of 'cover' (or 'padding') bristles. Ideally, 'the heart is hard, the cover-bristles fine, the point like an awl, and the whole is even like a mirror.' The skeleton of the brush is its heart, which is used for holding the ink. The point is formed from the combination of the tip and the cover-bristles, the skirt being for decoration. The space between the cover-bristles and the tip where the skirt does not extend acts as an ink reservoir. The point is even and the body strong; there is complementary stiffness and flexibility. When the brush is lifted during writing it naturally draws inwards to form the point. The main type of brush-head is of the 'bamboo shoot tip' style, but there are also 'orchid-head' and 'calabash-head' types. The length of the brush-head must be just right, because a slightly shortened point is easy to blunt. In terms of function there are writing brushes and painting brushes. These can be further divided into brushes with various properties, each with its own name. Brushes made for the royal family and for other exalted users, apart from emphasizing the brush-head, also used specially selected precious materials and exquisite decoration for the handle and cap as well as for the brushpot and brushstand....