Chapter 22 Chapter Five The Four Treasures of the Study and Chinese Civilization

"Li Guansui [sui Sui] from ancient times to the present." (Chen Ziang's sentence) "The Four Treasures of the Study" are firstly the tools and materials for calligraphy and painting symbols and characters (including pictorial characters).The invention and application of symbols and words have changed human society.Symbolic thinking and behavior are the most representative features in human life.The main sign of the difference between the age of ignorance and barbarism and the age of civilization is the invention and use of writing.Writing helps humans create culture and spread knowledge.Writing plays a huge and irreplaceable role in promoting the formation and development of nations and countries, and in strengthening the unity and cohesion of nations and countries.

Yang Xiong said: "Which book cannot be written without a pen?" ("Fa Yan") The writing of characters is inseparable from the tools and materials that express it, such as pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that without the "Four Treasures of the Study", there would be no developed economy and splendid culture in ancient my country, and there would be no great Chinese civilization.China will not become an ancient civilization that occupies an important position in human history. Since the "Four Treasures of the Study" are unique drawing and writing tools and materials of the Chinese nation, mastering and using the "Four Treasures of the Study" has created unique calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting of the Chinese nation.It can be said that without the "Four Treasures of the Study", there would be no Chinese calligraphy and painting art.For example, only with a brush, ink and inkstone, on rice paper, can the unique Chinese style of calligraphy and painting be expressed, and the unique charm of Chinese civilization be expressed.Xuan paper has the property of moistening ink. When ink is applied on it, it can be divided into five colors (burnt, thick, light, dry, and wet). The ink is colorful and smooth.Traditional Chinese painting pursues the charm of brush and ink, especially the freehand brushwork of ink and wash, which pays more attention to the charm of ink.Using ink on it can produce a unique artistic effect. It can be said that if you use the brush to write characters, and the dragon and snake fly, you can get the full posture of smoke and clouds, and you can get colorful effects.Swipe to compose the painting and render it wantonly, fully showing the spirit of "six methods", all of which capture the ethereal and ethereal wonder.

Furthermore, in the course of its development, the "Four Treasures of the Study" have gradually combined practicality and artistry, becoming handicrafts with both stationery functions and appreciation value.Whether it is a pen, ink or inkstone, it is often carved and decorated, and even the paper has a certain beauty and color. "This trip is not for perch, but for the love of famous mountains and into the middle of Shan." (Li Bai's sentence) They are not only available for use, but also for appreciation and collection, and become a clear offering for literature and entertainment.

Finally, in the long history of Chinese cultural development, the "Four Treasures of the Study" themselves contain cultural content, form culture, and become an important part of Chinese culture.The poems and essays praising the "Four Treasures of the Study" in the past dynasties are a good embodiment of this aspect. "Inkstone" is also an important part of it. The inscriptions are engraved on utensils or steles in the style of "to appraise merits and virtues, to proclaim supervision and admonition".The inkstone inscription is the inscription carved on the inkstone.Inkstone inscriptions often express the inkstone owner's thoughts, morals, algae ambitions, and tastes.Yue Fei, a national hero, wrote an inscription on his Tibetan inkstone: "Keep firm, keep white, don't be phosphorous, don't be black". (Courtesy of "The Analects of Confucius Yanghuo") Later, Wen Tianxiang, a national hero, engraved an inscription on the side of the inkstone: "The stone inkstone in Duanzhou, Yuezhong, Wu, was collected by Junzhi in the same year, and it was sent on December 13th in the ninth year of Xianchun. Tianxiang Ming said, "Although the inkstone is not iron, it is difficult to wear through the heart, although it is not stone, it is as strong as it is, and if you keep it, you will not lose the way and self-sufficiency." "Yuan Chi [zhi Zhi] Li Lan, Zhong Chi [jin Jin] Gao Zhi.Engraved stone inkstone, firm and clean.It expresses lofty ideals and shows steadfast integrity.

A stone inkstone, in a geological sense, is just a piece of rock.If engraved on stone and engraved on inkstone, this "stone" will be quite different.Zhu Shunshui, a scholar during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, said in one of his "Inkstone Inscriptions": "Inkstone is important for writing, and writing is important for people... Going against the righteousness, rubble is useless." A party's inscription inkstone, especially the virtuous inscription inkstone, is not only A piece of stationery, a kind of literary play, has become the carrier of cultural spirit, and itself has become culture.

The "Four Treasures of the Study" are an important part of the splendid culture of the Chinese nation, an artistic treasure of the Chinese nation, and a manifestation of the cultural spirit of the Chinese nation.Today, we should carry forward traditional culture, expand Chinese civilization, and contribute to the revitalization of China.