A clerical brush, ink in stone, writing stone and paper together constitute:   wén fáng sì bǎo that is, Four Treasures of the Cabinet - 4 tools needed in Chinese calligraphy. All were  invented in China, but they also gained immense popularity w_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58di_japonia-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58di_japonia-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58di_japonia-3194-bbd5cf58di_japoni .

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The name of the Four Treasures of the Cabinet dates back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589). Cztery  Treasures of the Cabinet were  niezwiennymi  and valuable tools of Chinese scholars and poets.

The four treasures consist of (according to the date of their creation):

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笔 BRUSH

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Najstarszy ze skarbów to pędzel czyli  bǐ  笔 (pełna nazwa to máobǐ 毛笔, máo :  hair, fur). The production brushes goes back to the longest reign in the history of China  of the Zhou dynasty (1045 to 256 BC). Writing brushes were traditionally made of natural materials. The shaft of the brushes was most often made of bamboo. _Cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Sometimes, often to emphasize the status bone, sandalwood brushes were created, _cc781905-bb3bad5cf5cf5cf5cf3bbbbb3bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb5bad5cf58d and other precious materials (gold, silver,   precious stones) ._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

The bristles in Chinese writing brushes are always of natural origin . N The most popular brushes today are bristle brushes kozy （羊毫, _cc781905-5cángicy-13694 bángicy-3194 , lángháo, from Siberian weasel  黄鼠狼） and mixed （兼 毫,  jiānháo). Interestingly, you can also find brushes made of rabbit, mouse, wild pig, and even deer hair. -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_size can reach dizzying prices po kilka, and even kilkans. Tens of thousands of yuans.

Currently, there are also trzonki made  made of synthetic materials, while the bristles are still used only natural (the most popular are goat and mixed bristles).

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墨 CARCASS

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Tusz w kamieniu mò 墨 spopularyzowany został w Chinach w czasach_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ of the Han Dynasty. It is produced  from a mixture of glue, anaerobic soot burning of plant oils i_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf-136bad5bb5cf-136bad5cf-136bad5cf-136bad5 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_of fragrance oils. To produce liquid ink, you need writing stone and water. The ink is obtained by gently rubbing the ingot o writing stone and positive of the appropriate amount_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136_wody5cf58d. The best carcasses produce very little noise when rubbed due to the use of drawn sadzy._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136-5cde-harsh_bb3b-136-5cde-harsh_bb3b-136bad5cf94d -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ bad quality (with grainy soot) ._ cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_The inks in stone are often decorated with calligraphy, poetry and unique Chinese paintings, which makes them also of great collector value. The best and most famous carcasses are produowane  in Anhui Province.

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砚 STONE

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Chinese writing stone (similar to the European inkwell)  czyli  yàntái砚台 _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58drab5-5cf58drab5-5cf58drab5-5cf58drab5 get ink  by rubbing the ingot the ink in the stone  and adding the right amount of water. The earliest known writing stones date back to the dynasty Han, however  enjoyed the greatest popularity_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136dynbad5cang-dynastiiw5cang58. Writers' stones may have both simple form jak i more_bb3bad05 -bb3bad5cf58d_bbbbb-136bad5cf58d_bbbad5cf58d_bb3b-136bad5cf58b writers can resemble  sophisticated sculptures. writing utensils are made of various types of stones, but you can also meet stones_cc781905-5cb-136bz195-5cb_cc781905-5cb-136bad05-5cb-136bz195-5cb-31bz195-5cb bb3b-136bad5cf58d_gliny,  brown, iron and porcelain. The most famous i cherished stones są produced in the provinces: _cc78dui_Gu05-5cangu, Annui-3181905-5cangu

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纸 PAPER

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Xuan paper was  invented in China in  1st century AD and has since become the main writing material. It is worth knowing that before the invention of paper, people wrote on silk and bamboo. Over the centuries , several methods of making paper have been developed, although the best and most valuable paper to this day is considered to be produced in the Anhui province, in the Jingxian district, i.e. known to all enthusiasts of xuānzhǐ 宣纸calligraphy.

Xuan paper, called  wrongly in Western countries, rice paper is not produced from rice  only from the local blue bark variety_cc781905-5cbb-136bad_bb3cb05-3694_bb3cbf58-8dbd5cb5cf58-8db5cb5cf58 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ straw and elm. This paper  is characterized by an exceptional of delicacy and transparency. It comes in various sizes,   colors and shapes. Rozróżnia się trzy podstawowe rodzaje papieru Xuan: papier surowy, mocno absorbujący water, ink and paints  (生 宣) intended  for Xieyi and calligraphy, papier_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136d_detrafted _detured_05c05, water-absorbent_bb3b-136_detrained 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_przeznaczony do Gongbi i drobnej kaligrafii (熟宣)_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ and semi-coated paper, moderately absorbing ink  (半熟 宣). ​ You can read more about the paper HERE .

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DO YOU KNOW THAT...?

Chinese is known for its large number of chengyu (tetrasyllabic idiomów) example  chengyu is also_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3ǎb.

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