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The Chinese calligraphy material is called the four treasures of the study (文房四宝, ). These are the brush, paper, ink, and ink stone.
I- Brushes
Chinese calligraphy uses a vast variety of brushes. Contrary to what one might think, the choice does not depend on a style of calligraphy one wishes to practice but on the calligrapher's preferences: tastes, strength, flexibility or rigidity of the wrist and arm, etc.
Here are the three most commonly used models, already presented on the page Materials and Supports in the section Chinese Painting:
- The goat hair brush: 羊毫, .
- The wolf hair brush: 狼毫, .
- The goat and wolf hair brush: 兼毫, . Composed of an outer ring of soft goat hair and an inner tip of hard wolf hair, it combines the components of the two previous brushes.
Note: New brushes are stiffened with glue that holds the tip to protect it. This glue should be dissolved with lukewarm water so that the hairs regain their flexibility.
Before using the brush, it should be slightly moistened before dipping it in ink. Then, lightly tap the brush on the ink stone to remove excess ink. The brush should not be loaded or emptied by twisting as this could deform the tip.
II- Paper
To practice Chinese calligraphy, a rather coarse paper called 毛边纸 () is used. It is made from herbs and has a yellowish color. This inexpensive paper allows for low-cost practice.
For beautiful calligraphy, the same papers as those used for Chinese painting are employed.
This is rice paper called 宣纸 (). There are two types:
- 生宣, : absorbent paper, the most commonly used.
- 熟宣, , also called 仿宣, : non-absorbent paper, much less commonly used.
III- Ink
Traditionally, Chinese ink (墨, ) comes in the form of molded sticks. Legend attributes its invention to 邢夷 () 800 years before our era. It is composed of soot and a mixture of glue and plant substances. The soot obtained from the combustion of different materials (fir wood or several types of oil) allows for the production of inks of varying qualities.
This Chinese ink stick is rubbed on an ink stone with a little water. The more it is rubbed, the thicker the ink becomes. Water can then be added to obtain the different shades of density found in calligraphy.
Nowadays, liquid ink contained in small bottles is used. It is dense enough to be diluted to obtain the various shades. This form of ink should not be dismissed for its non-traditional aspect. It is of very good quality, and its practicality makes it the preferred choice for the majority of calligraphers.
IV- Ink Stone
Slightly rough, it is on this stone that the ink stick is ground with water. The most common ones are carved from stone (砚台, ), but archaeological excavations have uncovered very ancient ink stones made of jade, lacquer, metals (bronze, silver, or iron), or porcelain.
In itself, the calligrapher's ink stone is a very precious work of art. However, it is not necessary to pay a fortune to acquire one of good quality. It is preferable, though, that it comes with a lid to prevent the ink from drying out.
After each use, the ink stone should be thoroughly washed with running water only. It is also advisable to leave a little water in the reservoir to preserve the stone's moisture.
