Chinese writing brushes are made up of a brush end, a handle and a finial. Medium-sized brushes such as these are made from the hairs of wolf, rabbit and goat. The stem is of this brush is made from bamboo. Chinese writing brushes can be broadly divided into three categories—soft, stiff or combination—according to the stiffness and resilience of the brush hair. The form and design of brushes vary according to their functions. Brushes with stiff hair are suitable for writing small characters in regular and cursive script. Soft brushes are able to hold more ink and thus favour a freer wielding of the brush end.
