工笔 (gōngbǐ): gongbi (meticulous-brush style…

Meanings

1 gongbi (meticulous-brush style of traditional Chinese painting)
2 fine-detail brushwork

Characters

工

Examples

她擅长工笔花鸟画。

Tā shàncháng gōngbǐ huā niǎo huà.

She specializes in gongbi flower-and-bird painting.

工笔要求线条精细，设色均匀。

Gōngbǐ yāoqiú xiàntiáo jīngxì, shèsè jūnyún.

Gongbi demands fine lines and even coloring.

Tips

culture

One of the two major styles of 国画 (Chinese painting), opposed to 写意 (xieyi, freehand / expressive). 工笔 uses meticulous outline (勾勒), multiple washes of color (渲染), and typically depicts 花鸟 (flower-and-bird) or 人物 (figures). Flourished in the Song and Yuan courts.

memory

工 (meticulous work) + 笔 (brush) → 'meticulous-brush'. Contrast 写意: 写 (to write/express) + 意 (idea) → 'write the idea', the looser counterpart.