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The Four Treasures of the Study/ 文房四宝/ (wénfánɡ sìbǎo)

A: The Four Treasures of the Study is the collective term for the tools used in China's ancient calligraphy. Do you know what the Four Treasures of the Study are?

文房四宝是中国古代书画用具的总称。你知道文房四宝有哪些吗？

(wénfánɡ sìbǎo shì zhōnɡɡuó ɡǔdài shūhuà yònɡjù de zǒnɡchēnɡ.nǐ zhīdào wénfánɡ sìbǎo yǒu nǎxiē ma?)

B: Let me guess. I think they should be paper, ink, brushes and inkstones.

让我猜猜,我想应该有纸,墨水,毛笔,砚台。

(rànɡwǒ cāicāi, wǒxiǎnɡ yīnɡɡāi yǒu zhǐ, mòshuǐ, máobǐ, yàntái.)

A: Yup, you guessed right. I heard that the quality of the Four Treasures of the Study will have an important impact on one's painting and calligraphy.

没错,你都猜对了。据说,文房四宝的质量对绘画和书法起着至关重要的作用。

(méicuò, nǐ dōu cāiduì le.jùshuō, wénfánɡ sìbǎo de zhìliànɡ duì huìhuà hé shūfǎ qǐzhe zhìɡuān zhònɡyào de zuòyònɡ.)

B: No wonder literati value their choice of these tools. 

所以怪不得呢,文人都很注重这些用具的选择。

(suǒyǐ ɡuàibùdé ne, wénrén dōu hěn zhùzhònɡ zhèxiē yònɡjù de xuǎnzé.)

A: To a certain extent, the use of the China's Four Treasures of the Study to today was an important factor that promoted the development of traditional Chinese culture. I'm such a fan of Chinese culture. 

从某种程度上来说,中国的文房四宝被延续使用直至今日, 这也是促进中国传统文化发展的一个重要因素。我是一个地地道道的中国文化迷。

(cónɡ mǒuzhǒnɡ chénɡdù shànɡ láishuō, zhōnɡɡuó de wénfánɡ sìbǎo bèi yánxù shǐyònɡ zhízhì jīnrì, zhè yěshì cùjìn zhōnɡɡuó chuántǒnɡ wénhuà fāzhǎn de yīɡè zhònɡyào yīnsù.wǒ shì yīɡè dìdìdàodào de zhōnɡɡuó wénhuà mí.)

Illustration: Liu Xidan/Global Times