歙硯：文人有硯 猶美人之有鏡
硯為“文房四寶”之一，蘇易簡《文房四譜》雲：“四寶硯為首，筆墨兼紙，皆可隨時取索，可終生與具者為硯而已。”可見文人墨客對硯臺的厚愛。産於安徽的歙硯作為中國四大名硯之一，更為人所稱道，南唐後主李煜説“歙硯甲天下”，恐怕看到真正的歙硯後你也會讚不絕口。
Inkstone is one of the "Four Treasures of the Study", meaning four basic tools in writing, drawing and painting that have been used since ancient times in China. According to Su Yijian's article Four Factors of the Study -- the inkstone should be prepared first, then ink, brush and paper usually follow. Inkstones can be used for more than a lifetime. It can be observed in China that scholars love inkstones. One of the four famous inkstones in China, is the She Inkstone produced in Anhui Province. Li Yu, the last empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, declared that She Inkstone is the best in the world. I presumed that you will be really amazed when you see the genuine She Inkstone of China.
歙硯是徽州非物質文化遺産的代表，其質地堅實細膩，磨出的墨汁潤滑均勻，有“冬不幹，夏不腐”的奇效。古代的歙硯採用龍尾石製作，龍尾石産于婺源龍尾山，一般需要5-10億年的地質變化才能形成。之後還要經過相石選坯、製作粗坯、設計、雕刻、打磨等多個工序，每一步都不能草率。
She Inkstone is one of the representation of Huizhou's intangible cultural heritage. Its texture is solid and delicate at the same time, and the ink is lubricated evenly in the inkstone to minimize friction when applying ink to the brush. It has the miraculous effect of "never dry in winter, never rotten in summer". Ancient She Inkstone is made of Longwei stone. Longwei stone is produced in Longwei Mountain of Wuyuan. It usually takes 500-1000 million years to form. Several procedures are needed to make an inkstone, including stone selection, rough modeling, design, carving, grinding and so on. Every step should be done properly and this may not be successfully completed if hastily executed.
歙硯的形制千變萬化，從唐代的箕型硯，前高後低、前窄後寬的箕形淌池硯；宋代的抄手硯，硯底挖空可用手抄底托起；明清兩朝具有時代特徵的隨形硯；到當代的寫實派、文人派和抽象派等派別，每一塊硯石都要根據其質地和紋理，因材施藝。歙硯的雕刻題材十分廣泛，山水、亭臺、樓閣、花草無所不取，人物、走獸、飛禽、蟲魚無所不包。
The shape of She inkstones differs one from the other. There are dustpan-shaped inkstones in Tang Dynasty with high-narrow front and low-wide back, the hand-lifted inkstones in Song Dynasty which can be lifted by hand as the bottom of inkstones is hollow, the natural-shape inkstones during the period of Ming and Qing Dynasties and the realistic, literal and abstractionist inkstones in modern times that each inkstone is made according to its unique texture and shape. She inkstones have a wide range of carving themes, including landscapes, pavilions, architectures, flowers and plants, as well as characters, animals, birds, insects and fish.
除了物的雕刻，更值得一提的是一些文學作品也會出現在歙硯上。這類刻于硯臺表面的文字被稱為“硯銘”，是硯雕的一部分，集佳石、文學、雕刻、書法于一體。“澀不留筆，滑不拒墨……厚而堅，足以閱人于古今。樸而重，不能隨人以南北。”——蘇軾《孔毅甫龍尾硯銘》。這是蘇東坡刻寫在友人孔毅甫的一方歙硯上的銘文。前半句，是對硯臺的讚美之詞，也就是以銘説硯，後半句是以銘立德、以銘抒情。
Apart from ink grinding, She inkstones are used for inscription of literary works. Chinese characters engraved on surface of inkstone are called "inkstone inscription", which is a kind of inkstone carving that integrates stone art, literature, sculpture and calligraphy. "The texture is both rough and smooth that does not create much friction to the pen. Thick and hard, it well withstands weathering of the time and can be clearly read in both ancient and modern times. Simple and solemn, it does not drift with the tide of changes”. This inkstone inscription is named Longwei Inkstone Inscription of Kong Yifu written by the literature giant Su Shi to his friend Kong Yifu. The first part describes his admiration for the inkstone, and the second sentence is to express the virtue that the inscription indicates.
文人有硯，猶如美人之有鏡。一方好硯，本身就是一件藝術珍品，再書刻上精美的銘文，更是錦上添花。
An inkstone for a scholar is like a mirror for a beauty. A good inkstone is an art treasure in itself, and an exquisite inscription is just the icing on the cake.
