中国古代四艺：琴棋书画-HanTok学中文

2023年2月26日

中国古代四艺：琴棋书画

Four Ancient Chinese Arts:

Chinese guqin/Wei Qi/Calligraphy/Painting

看过中国古装剧的朋友应该都常常听到里面有一句夸赞才子佳人的话语：琴棋书画，样样精通。那么这里提到的琴棋书画是什么意思呢？今天我们就一起探讨一下。

People who have watched Chinese costume dramas should often hear a word praising talented people in it: 琴棋书画，样样精通. So what does the 琴棋书画 mentioned here mean? Let's talk about it today.

琴棋书画，又被称为“四艺”，是古代文人雅士、上流社会的大家闺秀修身所必须的技能，又被称为“文人四友”。“琴棋书画”的说法最早出现在唐代诗人张彦远的《法书要录》：“辩才俗姓袁氏，梁司空昂之玄孙。辩才博学工文，琴棋书画，皆得其妙。”后来逐渐演变为夸奖一个人很有才气和文学修养的话语。曹雪芹在《红楼梦》中给“四春”的贴身丫头取“抱琴、司棋、侍书、入画”之名，充分体现了琴棋书画在古代文人生活中的地位。

琴棋书画, also known as the "four arts", is a skill necessary for the ancient literati and the upper class to cultivate themselves, and is also known as the "four friends of the literati".The saying "琴棋书画" first appeared in the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Yanyuan's“法书要录”：“辩才俗姓袁氏，梁司空昂之玄孙。辩才博学工文，琴棋书画，皆得其妙。”Later, it gradually evolved into words praising a person's talent and literary accomplishment.Cao Xueqin gave the maid of "Sichun" the name of "抱琴、司棋、侍书、入画" in "A Dream of Red Mansions", which fully reflects the status of 琴棋书画 in the life of ancient literati.

1.琴

古琴guqin&瑟se

古琴亦称“瑶琴”、“七弦琴”，我国最古老的弹拨乐器之一，出现不晚于尧舜时期。2003年，古琴列入世界“人类口头和非物质遗产代表作”。瑟，古代拨弦乐器，最初有五十根弦，每弦瑟有一柱。故有“锦瑟无端五十弦，一弦一柱思华年”，湖北随县曾侯乙墓出土的古瑟是我国现存最古老的瑟。

中国著名的古琴曲如下：高山流水、广陵散、平沙落雁、梅花三弄、胡笳十八拍，有没有你听过的呢？

Guqin, also known as "Yaoqin" and "Qi xian qin", is one of the oldest plucked musical instruments in China.Probably appeared in the Yao Shun period. In 2003, the guqin was listed as the world's "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". Se, an ancient plucked string instrument, originally had fifty strings, each with a column.So there is such an ancient poem as“锦瑟无端五十弦，一弦一柱思华年”.The se excavated from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Suixian County, Hubei Province, is the oldest existing se in China.China's famous guqin songs are as follows: 高山流水、广陵散、平沙落雁、梅花三弄、胡笳十八拍, have you ever heard it?

2.棋

围棋Go game&中国象棋Chinese chess

围棋，一种策略型两人棋类游戏，中国古时称“弈”，西方名称“Go”。流行于东亚国家（中国、日本、韩国、朝鲜）。围棋起源于中国，传说为帝尧所作，春秋战国时期即有记载。隋唐时经朝鲜传入日本，流传到欧美各国。围棋蕴含着中华文化的丰富内涵，它是中国文化与文明的体现。中国象棋是中华民族的文化瑰宝，它源远流长，趣味浓厚，基本规则简明易懂。中国象棋在中国的群众基础远远超过围棋，是普及最广的棋类项目，中国象棋已流传到十几个国家和地区。

Go, a strategic two-player board game, was called "Yi" in ancient China and "Go" in the West. It is endemic to East Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea). Go originated in China and is said to have been written by Emperor Yao, and recorded during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it was introduced to Japan through Korea and spread to European and American countries. Go contains the rich connotation of Chinese culture, and it is the embodiment of Chinese culture and civilization.Chinese chess is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, it has a long history, rich in fun, and the basic rules are simple and easy to understand. Chinese chess in China's mass base far exceeds Go, is the most popular chess project, Chinese chess has spread to more than a dozen countries and regions.

3.书

书法想必大家都不陌生，书法是汉字的书写艺术，是一种很独特的视觉艺术。在中国古代，名家的孩子从小就开始练习书法。书法能够把书写者个人的生活感受、学识、个性、修养等折射出来，所以通常有“字如其人”的说法。而且在科举中如果书法不好肯定是会立即被淘汰的。王羲之、颜真卿、赵孟頫、柳公权等都是中国古代杰出的书法家。

Calligraphy must be familiar to everyone, calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters, which is a very unique visual art. In ancient China, children of famous masters began to practice calligraphy from an early age. Calligraphy can reflect the writer's personal life feelings, knowledge, personality, cultivation, etc.So there is usually a saying that "the word is like the person".Moreover, if the calligraphy is not good in the imperial examination, it will definitely be eliminated immediately.Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing, Zhao Mengfu, Liu Gongquan, etc. were all outstanding calligraphers of ancient China.

4.画

画，指的是中国画，主要是用毛笔蘸水、墨、彩，在帛或宣纸上作画的一种中国传统绘画。国画的题材丰富，主要分为人物画、山水画、花鸟画。国画不仅仅是一种绘画形式，更是用艺术来表达思想的方式。国画的三种题材其实概括了宇宙和生命的三个方面：山水画整合人与自然，代表了人与自然的关系；而花鸟画表达了自然与人和谐相处的状态；人物画描绘人类社会和人类之间的关系。顾恺之、吴道子、王维等是中国画的代表人物。

Painting refers to Chinese painting, which is mainly a kind of traditional Chinese painting that uses a brush dipped in water, ink and color to paint on a pale or paper. Chinese painting has a rich subject matter, mainly divided into figure painting, landscape painting, flower and bird painting. Chinese painting is not only a form of painting, but also a way to express ideas with art.The three themes of Chinese painting actually summarize the three aspects of the universe and life: landscape painting integrates mankind and nature, representing the relationship between mankind and nature; The paintings of flowers and birds express the state of harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind; Figure paintings depict human society and the relationship between human beings.Gu Kaizhi, Wu Daozi, Wang Wei and other representative figures of Chinese painting.