笔触 (bǐ chù) — brushstroke (in Chinese painting and calligraphy); brushwork; artistic style or technique

Definition

A specialized art term for a single 'brushstroke' (literal stroke) and, by extension, the overall 'brushwork' or artist's style. Use it for Chinese painting and calligraphy, not for writing with a pen.

noun
brushstroke (in Chinese painting and calligraphy)brushworkartistic style or technique

Examples

  • 笔触，。
    Zhè wèi huà jiā de bǐ chù cū guǎng yǒu lì, hěn yǒu gè rén fēng gé.
    This painter's brushwork is bold and powerful, very personal in style.
  • 笔触。
    Shū fǎ zuò pǐn jiǎng jiu bǐ chù de qīng zhòng huǎn jí.
    Calligraphy works emphasize the lightness, heaviness, speed, and slowness of brushstrokes.
  • ，。
    Tā mó fǎng de shān shuǐ huà bǐ chù guò yú shēng yìng, quē shǎo líng qì.
    The brushstrokes in his imitated landscape painting are too stiff and lack spirit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

笔bǐbrush
触chùtouch

A brush 笔 touch 触 gives the stroke or brushwork.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 筆; 笔 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
聿
聿yù筆bǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The simplified 笔 is based on the traditional form 筆, which puts 竹 (bamboo) beside 聿 (writing brush). 聿 already meant the brush and supplied the sound; 竹 was added later to show it was made of bamboo.

Open 笔 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 觸; 触 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
角角jiǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ觸chù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 觸 uses 角 for the meaning and 蜀 for the sound; the simplified 触 is a later shorthand.

Open 触 →

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