Does Brush Writing Help Your Pencil Writing? · 毛筆字和硬筆字

Big idea · 一句話看懂

A brush and a pencil make different lines, but they build the same character. Take away the thick and thin of the brush, and what is left is the structure: the same strokes, in the same order, in the same places. We could not find a study that proves brush lessons make pencil writing better, so this lesson does not promise that. What it shows is the part the two tools share.
毛筆和鉛筆寫出來的線不一樣，可是搭起來的是同一個字。把毛筆的粗細拿掉，剩下來的就是結構：一樣的筆畫、一樣的筆順、一樣的位置。我們找不到研究能證明「練毛筆會讓鉛筆字變好」，所以這一課不這樣保證。這一課給你看的，是兩種筆共用的那一部分。

3D Model · 3D 模型

One Character, Two Tools 同一個字，兩種筆

Drag to turn, and scroll or pinch to zoom. A brush and a pencil write the same character at the same time, along the same path. Watch the stroke counter and the two line widths. Then turn on the brush shadow to lay the brush character under the pencil one, or pick another character.
拖曳可以旋轉，滾輪或雙指可以縮放。毛筆和鉛筆同時寫同一個字，走同一條路線。看看現在寫到第幾筆、兩條線各有多寬。再打開「毛筆的影子」，把毛筆字墊在鉛筆字底下，或換一個字試試。

Drag to turn · 拖曳旋轉　Scroll or pinch to zoom · 滾輪／雙指縮放

This 3D model needs WebGL, which this browser does not support. The reading, the cards, the slider, the game, and the practice pad below still work.
這個瀏覽器不支援 WebGL，無法顯示 3D 模型；下方的課文、卡片、滑桿、小遊戲和練字板一樣能用。

Side by side, or one at a time · 一起看，或一個一個看

Character · 寫哪個字

Stroke · 第幾筆: 0 / 5
Its name · 筆畫名: —

Brush pressure · 毛筆按多重: 0%
Brush line · 線寬: —

Pencil · 鉛筆: same path同一條路線
Pencil line · 線寬: —

	毛筆Brush	鉛筆Pencil
Strokes筆畫數	—	—
Path路線長度	—	—
Thickest最粗	—	—
Thinnest最細	—	—

Brush shadow毛筆的影子Labels標示

Gold frame: the brush's numbers (its width changes with pressure)
金色框：毛筆的數字（線寬跟著按多重變）
Blue frame: the pencil's numbers (its width does not change)
藍色框：鉛筆的數字（線寬不變）
Red grid: the same 25-cm square on both sheets
紅色格線：兩張紙上一樣大的 25 公分方格

A teaching model. Both sheets have the same 25-cm square, far bigger than a real pencil square, so that you can see the lines. The pencil follows the center line of our own brush stroke data, point for point, and its line is drawn 0.3 cm wide at this size. A real pencil line also gets a little darker when you press, which the model does not show. The numbers come from the model, not from measuring anyone's handwriting.
這是教學用的示意模型。兩張紙上的方格一樣大（25 公分），比真的鉛筆格子大很多，這樣才看得清楚線條。鉛筆走的是我們自己的毛筆筆畫資料的中心線，一點一點都對得上；在這個大小下，鉛筆線畫成 0.3 公分寬。真的鉛筆用力按，線會稍微變黑一點，模型沒有表現這個。數字是模型算出來的，不是量誰的字得來的。

Model, stroke data, and the writing engine are drawn and programmed by My Culture Connect. · 模型、筆畫資料與寫字引擎由人師教育協會自繪、自寫。

Reading · 英文閱讀

15

Unit 15: Does Brush Writing Help Your Pencil Writing?

For fourteen lessons you have followed the brush. But on most days you write with a pencil or a pen. Taiwan's curriculum calls this kind of writing 硬筆字, hard-pen writing, because the tip does not bend the way brush hairs do. So here is a fair question for the last lesson: does brush writing help your pencil writing?

前面十四課，我們一直跟著毛筆走。可是平常寫字，你用的多半是鉛筆或原子筆。台灣的課綱把這樣寫的字叫做「硬筆字」，因為筆尖不像筆毛那樣會彎。所以最後一課要問一個很實際的問題：練毛筆字，對鉛筆字有幫助嗎？

Start with what is different. A brush is soft, so its line swells when you press and thins when you lift. A pencil is hard. Its core is a thin rod of graphite mixed with clay, and it leaves a line of almost the same width from beginning to end. In our model, the brush line in 永 changes from 0.3 to 2.5 centimeters wide. The pencil line stays at 0.3.

先看不一樣的地方。毛筆是軟的，一按線就變粗，一提線就變細。鉛筆是硬的。筆芯是石墨混合黏土做成的細條，寫出來的線從頭到尾幾乎一樣粗。在我們的模型裡，毛筆寫「永」，線寬從 0.3 公分變到 2.5 公分；鉛筆的線一直是 0.3 公分。

Now look at what is the same. In the model, a brush and a pencil write 永 at the same moment. Both make five strokes. Both follow the same stroke order. Both travel the same path, and every stroke lands in the same position on the grid. Take the width away from the brush character, and you get the pencil character. It looks like a skeleton.

再看一樣的地方。模型裡，毛筆和鉛筆同時寫「永」。兩個都是五筆，筆順一樣，走的路線一樣，每一筆落在格子裡的位置也一樣。把毛筆字的粗細拿掉，就得到鉛筆字。它看起來像一副骨架。

Writers have a name for this skeleton: structure, or 間架結構 in Chinese. It means where each stroke starts and ends, how long it is, and how the strokes balance one another. Taiwan's curriculum asks students in Grades 3 to 6 to learn this structure and to write correct, neat hard-pen characters. It also says that in those grades hard-pen writing comes first, and the brush is the helper.

寫字的人給這副骨架取了名字：結構，也叫「間架結構」。意思是每一筆從哪裡開始、到哪裡結束、有多長，以及筆畫和筆畫之間怎麼互相平衡。台灣的課綱要三到六年級的學生學會間架結構，寫出正確、工整的硬筆字；課綱也說，這幾個年級「習寫以硬筆字為主，毛筆為輔」。

So, does the brush help? Here is an honest answer. We could not find a study that proves brush lessons make pencil writing better, so we will not promise that. What we can say is what the model shows: the two tools share stroke order and structure. A brush character is also big. The curriculum suggests squares of 8 to 12 centimeters for large brush characters, and 1.5 to 2 centimeters for hard-pen writing in Grades 1 and 2, so a stroke in the wrong position is easier to see.

那麼，毛筆到底有沒有幫助？老實說：我們找不到研究能證明「練毛筆會讓鉛筆字變好」，所以不這樣保證。我們能說的，是模型給你看到的：兩種筆共用筆順和結構。還有一點，毛筆字很大。課綱建議大楷毛筆字的格子是 8 到 12 公分見方，一、二年級硬筆字的格子只有 1.5 到 2 公分，所以哪一筆的位置跑掉了，在大字裡比較容易看出來。

Now try it yourself. Pull the slider and watch the thickness disappear. Find the stroke that is off in the game. Then write with both tools on the pad. The curriculum's advice is simple: aim for correct first, then upright, then neat, and beautiful last. It also says not to practice too much. Good writing is a habit, and you can build it with any tool.

現在換你試試。拉動滑桿，看粗細慢慢消失；在小遊戲裡找出寫歪的那一筆；再到練字板上兩種筆都寫寫看。課綱的建議很簡單：先求正確，再求端正，然後工整，最後才是美觀；課綱也提醒，不要練習過度。把字寫好是一種習慣，用哪一種筆都可以養成。

Read aloud · 課文朗讀

Questions · 閱讀理解

What is the biggest difference between a brush line and a pencil line?

The width. A brush line gets thicker and thinner as the hand presses and lifts. A pencil line stays almost the same width from beginning to end.

When a brush and a pencil write the same character, what stays the same?

The structure: the number of strokes, the stroke order, and the position and length of every stroke.

Does this lesson promise that brush practice will make your pencil writing better? Why or why not?

No. We could not find a study that proves it. The lesson only shows what the two tools share, which is stroke order and structure.

Words & Phrases · 生字及片語

pencil(n.)鉛筆Please write your answers in pencil.請用鉛筆寫答案。graphite(n.)石墨The dark core of a pencil is made of graphite and clay.鉛筆裡黑黑的筆芯是石墨和黏土做的。width(n.)寬度Measure the width of the desk with a ruler.用尺量一量桌子的寬度。skeleton(n.)骨架；骨骼The museum has the skeleton of a whale.博物館裡有一副鯨魚的骨架。position(n.)位置Put the chairs back in the same position.把椅子放回原來的位置。balance(v.)（使）平衡Can you balance on one foot for ten seconds?你能單腳站十秒不倒嗎？neat(adj.)整齊的；工整的Her notebook is always clean and neat.她的筆記本總是又乾淨又整齊。habit(n.)習慣Reading before bed is a good habit.睡前看書是個好習慣。

Quick Check · 小測驗

1. What is the core of a pencil made of?

2. In the model, what is different between the brush character and the pencil character?

3. What does “structure” mean in this lesson?

4. In Taiwan's curriculum for Grades 3 to 6, which kind of writing comes first?

5. Which order does the curriculum suggest?

Different and the Same · 同與不同

What is different, and what is the same? 哪裡不一樣？哪裡一樣？

All four pictures are drawn from the same stroke data as the 3D model. Tap a card to watch it happen.
四張小圖和 3D 模型用的是同一份筆畫資料。點卡片，就在模型裡看它發生。

Brush毛筆

Different · the width follows the pressure · 不一樣・粗細跟著輕重

In the model, the line in 永 goes from 0.3 to 2.5 cm wide. Press for thick, lift for thin.
在模型裡，「永」的線從 0.3 公分變到 2.5 公分寬。按下去粗，提起來細。

Pencil鉛筆

Different · one width all the way · 不一樣・從頭到尾一樣粗

The tip is hard, so the line keeps almost the same width. All that is left to decide is where the line goes.
筆尖是硬的，所以線幾乎一樣粗。剩下要決定的，只有線放在哪裡。

Structure間架結構

The same · same places, same lengths · 一樣・位置一樣、長短一樣

Lay the brush character under the pencil one. Every pencil stroke runs down the middle of a brush stroke.
把毛筆字墊在鉛筆字底下。每一條鉛筆線，都走在毛筆筆畫的正中間。

Stroke order筆順

The same · same first stroke, same last · 一樣・第一筆、最後一筆都一樣

Both tools write 永 in five strokes, in the same order. You learned why order matters in Lesson 4.
兩種筆寫「永」都是五筆，順序一樣。為什麼要照筆順，第四課學過。

Try It · 動手試

Take the Thickness Away 把粗細拿掉

Here is a character written with a brush. Pull the slider to the left and its thick parts shrink until every line is as thin as a pencil line. Watch the three numbers: only one of them changes.
這是毛筆寫的一個字。把滑桿往左拉，粗的地方會慢慢縮小，直到每一條線都和鉛筆線一樣細。看看下面三個數字：只有一個會變。

Character · 範字

Thickness · 粗細 100%← Pencil · 鉛筆Brush · 毛筆 →

Center line · 中心線 Order · 筆順

Thickest ÷ thinnest最粗 ÷ 最細: —
Strokes筆畫數: —
Path length路線長度: —

Game · 小遊戲

Which Stroke Is Off? 哪一筆寫歪了？

On the left is a model written with a brush. On the right, someone copied it in pencil, but one stroke is too short, too long, leaning, or in the wrong place. Tap that stroke. The nine-square grid is there to help you compare.
左邊是毛筆寫的範字。右邊是用鉛筆照著寫的，可是有一筆太短、太長、斜掉了，或位置跑掉了。把那一筆點出來。九宮格就是用來幫你比位置的。

Found on the first try一次就找到0 / 8

Practice Pad · 練字板

One pad, two tools 一個練字板，兩種筆

Trace the pale red model, first with the pencil and then with the brush. With the pencil, the line is the same width however you move, so all your attention can go to position. You can also change the grid: a 田 grid, a nine-square grid, or a 米 grid.
照著淡紅色的範字描寫，先用鉛筆，再換毛筆。用鉛筆的時候，不管怎麼動，線都一樣粗，所以可以把注意力全部放在位置上。格子也可以換：田字格、九宮格或米字格。

Character · 範字

Tool · 筆

Grid · 格子

Grid · 格線 Model · 範字 Order · 筆順

Before each stroke, look at the grid. Where does the stroke start? Where does it end?每寫一筆之前，先看格線：這一筆從哪裡開始？到哪裡結束？
Write 永 with the pencil. Then switch to the brush and write it again on top. Do your two characters line up?先用鉛筆寫「永」，再換毛筆在上面寫一次。兩個字疊得起來嗎？
Turn the model off and write from memory. Turn it on again and check your positions.把範字關掉，憑記憶寫一次；再打開範字，檢查每一筆的位置。

Pencils and Taiwan · 鉛筆與台灣

A pencil with no lead in it, two letters on its side, and writing in Taiwan's schools 沒有鉛的鉛筆、筆桿上的兩個字母，還有台灣學校裡的寫字課

Two things about the pencil from an encyclopedia and a pencil maker, and two about writing from Taiwan's own documents.
兩件關於鉛筆的事，來自百科全書和鉛筆製造商；兩件關於寫字的事，來自台灣自己的文件。

The “Lead” · 筆芯

No lead in a pencil鉛筆裡沒有鉛

An encyclopedia explains that a pencil is a thin rod of graphite, often called the “lead,” though it contains none of that metal. Modern pencils still use a mixture of graphite and clay. Taiwan's Ministry of Education dictionary says the same: a core made of graphite powder and clay.
大英百科說：鉛筆是一根細細的石墨條，大家常叫它「鉛」，其實裡面完全沒有鉛這種金屬；現在的鉛筆仍然用石墨和黏土的混合物。教育部辭典的說法一樣：「石墨粉和黏土製成的筆心」。

H and B · H 和 B

The letters on the side筆桿上的字母

One pencil maker explains the letters this way: H is for hard and B is for black, so HB means hard black, a medium-soft grade that the maker calls ideal for writing. The more clay in the core, the harder the pencil. The more graphite, the softer and blacker the line.
一家鉛筆製造商這樣解釋筆桿上的字母：H 是 hard（硬），B 是 black（黑），所以 HB 是「又硬又黑」，屬於中等偏軟的等級，製造商說它最適合寫字。筆芯裡黏土越多，鉛筆越硬；石墨越多，線就越軟、越黑。

Taiwan's Classrooms · 台灣的教室

Hard pen first, brush as helper硬筆為主，毛筆為輔

Taiwan's Mandarin curriculum says Grades 1 and 2 practice hard-pen writing, and Grades 3 to 6 also learn the brush. Its teaching notes describe four steps for both tools: tracing over a red model, copying from a model beside you, writing on your own, and using your writing in real life.
國語文課綱說：一、二年級以習寫硬筆字為主，三到六年級兼習毛筆字。課綱的教學說明還提到，硬筆和毛筆的寫字教學都有四個階段：描紅、臨摹、自運、應用——照著紅字描，看著範本寫，自己寫，最後用在生活裡。

The National Contest · 全國語文競賽

Fifty characters in fifty minutes五十分鐘，五十個字

In the writing event of Taiwan's National Language Competition, every group writes regular script with a traditional brush: 50 characters in 50 minutes. Students write characters 7 centimeters square. Half of the score is for brushwork. The other half is for structure and layout.
全國語文競賽的「寫字」項目，各組一律用傳統毛筆寫楷書：50 分鐘寫 50 個字。學生組的字是 7 公分見方。評分一半看筆法，另一半看「結構與章法」。

Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思

Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會

✗ Myth · 迷思If you practice the brush, your pencil writing will surely get better.練了毛筆字，鉛筆字一定會變好。

✓ Fact · 事實We could not find a study that proves this. What the two tools share is stroke order and structure. Getting better with a pencil still takes practice with a pencil.我們找不到研究能證明這件事。兩種筆共用的是筆順和結構；鉛筆字要進步，還是得用鉛筆練。

✗ Myth · 迷思The dark core of a pencil is made of lead.鉛筆的筆芯是鉛做的。

✓ Fact · 事實It is graphite mixed with clay. It contains no lead at all.筆芯是石墨混合黏土做的，裡面完全沒有鉛。

✗ Myth · 迷思Good handwriting means beautiful handwriting.字寫得好，就是寫得漂亮。

✓ Fact · 事實Taiwan's curriculum puts correct first, then upright, then neat. Beautiful comes last.課綱的順序是：先正確，再端正，然後工整，最後才是美觀。

✗ Myth · 迷思The more times you copy a character, the better.同一個字抄越多遍越好。

✓ Fact · 事實The curriculum says writing practice should be about quality, and it warns against practicing too much.課綱說，寫字的練習「應以質為主要考量，避免過度練習」。

Remember It · 記憶口訣

Brush and pencil in a sentence 一句話記住毛筆和鉛筆

Take away the thickness拿掉粗細

The structure is still there.
結構還在。

Same order, same path筆順一樣，路線一樣

Brush or pencil, five strokes for 永.
毛筆、鉛筆，「永」都是五筆。

Start and end on the grid起點終點對格線

Look first, then write.
先看，再寫。

Correct, upright, neat, beautiful正確、端正、工整、美觀

In that order.
照這個順序。

In the Classroom · 教室提醒

Before you pick up a brush 拿起毛筆之前

A sharp pencil has a point. Walk with the point down, and never point it at a classmate.削尖的鉛筆有尖端：拿著走路時筆尖朝下，不要對著同學。
Do not chew your pencil or put it in your mouth.不要咬鉛筆，也不要把鉛筆放進嘴裡。
Sit up, and keep your eyes 35 to 45 centimeters from the paper. That is the distance Taiwan's government suggests for children.坐正，眼睛離紙 35 到 45 公分。這是政府給小朋友的護眼建議。
After 30 minutes of close work, rest your eyes for 10 minutes. Make sure the light is bright enough.近距離用眼 30 分鐘，就休息 10 分鐘。光線要充足。
If you use a real brush for the activities, wear old clothes and cover the desk with newspaper.活動如果用真的毛筆：穿舊衣服，桌上先鋪報紙。

Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一

Big and Small 一大一小

You need · 準備材料

A brush with clean water and newspaper (or a thick marker) for each pair每兩人一枝毛筆、清水和舊報紙（或一枝粗的麥克筆）
A sheet with one 10-cm square and one 2-cm square, each with a cross inside, and a pencil一張畫了 10 公分方格和 2 公分方格的紙（格子裡都畫十字），還有鉛筆

Steps · 步驟

With the brush, write 永 in the big square. Watch the cross: which strokes touch the center line?用毛筆在大格子裡寫「永」。看著十字線：哪幾筆碰到中線？
With the pencil, write 永 in the small square, in the same stroke order.用鉛筆在小格子裡寫「永」，筆順要一樣。
Mark the start and the end of every stroke with a dot, in both characters.在兩個字上，把每一筆的起點和終點各點一個點。
Compare with your partner. Are the dots in the same parts of the two squares?和同伴比一比：兩個格子裡，那些點是不是落在同樣的地方？

The two characters do not have to be beautiful. You are checking positions, not beauty.
兩個字都不必漂亮。這裡要檢查的是位置，不是美不美。

Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二

Find My Mistake 找找我哪裡寫歪了