翻译十六

TheFourTreasuresoftheStudyThewritingbrush,inkstick,inkstone,andpaperwererequisitetreasuresinthestudyofthescholarsofancientChina,andtheyareoftenreferredtoasthe“FourTreasuresoftheStudy.”ThewritingbrushandinkstickhavebeenusedbytheChinesetowriteandpaintsince5,000yearsago.IntheQinDynasty(221BC---206BC),peoplealreadyusedfeathersofdifferenthardnessandbambootrunkstomakebrushes.DuringtheHanDynasty(206BC-220AD),man-madeinkwasusedinsteadofnaturalink.AfterpaperwasinventedbytheChinese,bambooslips,woodentablets,brocadeandsilk,whichoriginallyfunctionedaswritingsurfaces,graduallyfadedout.Theinkstonewasfirstdevelopedwiththeuseofwritingbrushesandink.AftertheSongDynasty(960AD---1279AD),the“FourTreasureoftheStudy”particularlyreferredtohubi,thewritingbrushproducedinHuzhou,Zhejiangprovince;huimo,theinkstickproducedinHuizhou,Anhuiprovince;xuanpaper,akindofpaperproducedinXuanzhou,Anhuiprovince;andduanyan,theinkstonemadeinZhaoqing,Guangdongprovince(ZhaoqingwasearliercalledDuanzhou).Indeed,theFourTreasuresoftheStudy”havewrittinthewholeChinesecivilization,asitis.

笔墨纸砚是中国古代文人书房当中必备的宝贝，被称为“文房四宝”。用笔墨书写绘画在中国可追溯到五千年前。秦时已用不同硬度的毛和竹管制笔；汉代以人工制墨 替代了天然墨；有了纸张以后，简牍锦帛逐失其用；砚台则随笔墨的使用而发展。“文房四宝”到宋朝以后特指湖笔、徽墨、宣纸、端砚。可以说文房四宝书写了整个中华文明。