文房四宝

笔、墨、纸、砚 （ink stone），就是人们所说的“文房四宝 （four treasures of the study）”，为书写中华五千年文明史做出了重要贡献。作为传承、弘扬中华文化和艺术的工具和载体，文房四宝铸就了汉字特有的书法 （calligraphy）艺术和中国画独特的风格。文房四宝不仅有实用价值，它们本身也是供人观赏的艺术品，并逐步发展成为收藏品。文房四宝品类繁多，丰富多彩，选材和制作工艺不断趋于完善、精美，历代都有名品、名匠产生，已经形成深厚的文化积淀。

翻译点拨

1. 笔、墨、纸、砚：“笔”翻译为writing brush；“墨”翻译为ink stick；“纸”简单地翻译为paper即可；“砚”翻译为ink stone。

2. 铸就了汉字特有的书法艺术：“铸就”可翻译为forge；“汉字特有的书法艺术”翻译为the unique art of calligraphy of Chinese character。

3. 中国画：译为Chinese painting。

4. 品类繁多，丰富多彩：翻译为There is a large variety of these four treasures.“品类繁多”和“丰富多彩”表达的是同一个意思，因此不用字对字翻译。

5. 深厚的文化积淀：“深厚的”译为profound；“文化积淀”译为cultural accumulation。

参考译文

Four Treasures of the Study

“Four treasures of the study”, referring to“writing brush”,“ink stick”,“paper”and“ink stones”, play an important role in recording five thousand years of Chinese civilization. As tools and carriers for inheriting and promoting Chinese culture and art, four treasures of the study forged the unique art of calligraphy of Chinese character as well as the unique artistic style of Chinese painting. They not only have their practical value, but also are the works of art for appreciation and gradually become objects for collection. There is a large variety of these four treasures. The selection of materials and the craft of making four treasures have become increasingly perfect and elaborate. Each dynasty in Chinese history saw the emergence of famous works and craftsmen, which had contributed to profound cultural accumulation.

知识小贴士

王羲之是东晋时期著名的书法家，有“书圣（saint of calligraphers）”之称，在书法史上，与其子王献之合称为“二王”。王羲之的书法兼善隶、草、楷、行各体，精研体势，心摹手追，广采众长，备精诸体，冶于一炉，摆脱了汉魏笔风，自成一家，影响深远。代表作《兰亭序》（The Orchid Pavilion ）被誉为“天下第一行书（running script）”。相传他家屋后有一个大水池，父亲告诉他，如果能把水池里的水洗黑，他的字就会有长进的。从此以后，一练完字，王羲之就跑到水池边去洗毛笔和砚台。洗呀洗呀，一天过去了，一个月过去了，一年过去了，水池里的水一天天变黑了，王羲之的字也写得越发好看了。后来，这个大水池也被人们称作墨池。