(Chinese: 文房四寶：筆、墨、紙、硯; pinyin: Wén fáng sì bǎo: bǐ, mò, zhǐ, yàn)[4][5] In the couplet mentioned, each of the Treasures is referred to by a single epithet; however, each of these are usually known by a compound name (i.e.

The brush (simplified Chinese: 毛笔; traditional Chinese: 毛筆; pinyin: máo bǐ, Korean: 붓 but, Vietnamese: 筆 bút, Japanese: 筆 fude, Ryukyuan: fudi) is the oldest of the Four Treasures, with archaeological evidence dating to Zhou dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC) illustrations on ancient bones.

The most famous and highly prized brushes are a mix of yellow weasel, goat and rabbit hair, known as Húbǐ (湖筆); highly prized since the Ming dynasty (late 14th century) they are currently made in Shanlian (善琏), a town in the Nanxun District, prefecture-level city of Huzhou, of Zhejiang province (浙江).

Higher quality inksticks also use powdered spices and herbs, adding to aroma and providing some protection to the ink itself.

The best ink sticks are fine grained and have a light, slightly ringing sound when tapped.

The inksticks in highest regard, known as Huīmò (徽墨), contain musk, borneol and other precious aromatics of Chinese medicine.

This particular form of paper, known as Xuānzhǐ (宣紙), is soft, fine-textured, moth resistant, has a high tensile strength, and remarkable longevity for such a product – so much so that it has a reputation for lasting "1,000 years".

This powder is then mixed with water in a well in the inkstone in order to produce usable ink for calligraphy.

Ink was first prepared using a mortar and pestle, but with the advent of inksticks this method slowly vanished.

The other "Treasures" include the brush-holder (笔架), brush-hanger (笔挂), paperweights (镇纸), the brush-rinsing pot (笔洗), and the seal (圖章) and seal-ink (印泥).