Chinese writing brushes are made up of a brush end, a handle and a finial. This is a large-sized brush with a wooden handle. 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.
