More than 2，000 years ago， a general returned from hunting was inspired by the tail of a rabbit. He cut off the tail and stuck it into a bamboo drain， making the first writing brush. The pen holder is made of bamboo or bone. The nib is made of hairs from sheep， rabbits or wolves.

Unlike other writing tools， it is difficult to write with a soft nib. Writing hànzì with soft máob? represents oriental philosophy. It is regarded as a method to cultivate the mind and nature， and widely used among scholars.

Chinese Writing Brush

2000多年前，一位狩獵歸來(lái)的將軍受到兔子尾巴的啟發(fā)，他把兔尾剪下插入竹管，從此，第一支毛筆誕生了。毛筆的筆桿是用竹子或獸骨制作的，筆頭是用羊、兔或狼的毛制作的。

毛筆不同于其他的書寫工具，它的筆頭很軟，這為書寫增加了難度。用柔軟的毛筆寫方正的漢字體現(xiàn)了東方的哲學(xué)精神。許多中國(guó)文人通過(guò)寫毛筆字來(lái)修身養(yǎng)性。

毛筆的誕生讓寫字成為一門藝術(shù)，即書法。毛筆像一位朋友陪伴在中國(guó)文人的身邊，記錄和見(jiàn)證著他們的學(xué)識(shí)與品格。

Wr i t i n g became an a r t c a l l e d calligraphy with the birth of máob?. Máo b? is a friend of Chinese scholars， making records of their knowledge and character.

Word Bank

general n. 將軍

stick v. （過(guò)去式stuck）將……刺入；插入

represent v. 體現(xiàn)；展示

calligraphy n. 書法；書法藝術(shù)