涉笔

涉筆
shèbǐ
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to take up the brush
  2. 2 to start writing or painting
  3. 3 to set pen to paper

Examples

Zhè wèi dàshī shèbǐ chéng qù, zuòpǐn biéjù yīgé.
This master makes any brush-stroke delightful; his works have a unique style.
Tā shèbǐ shēnghuā, wénzhāng yǐnrén-rùshèng.
His writing flowers from the brush; his essays draw readers in.

Tips

history
Famous in the chengyu 涉笔 (shèbǐ chéng qù — 'as soon as the brush touches paper, charm appears'), praising spontaneous artistic mastery. Originally describing painters and calligraphers; now used metaphorically for any inspired writer.
memory
literally 'to wade across' (water) → here 'to engage with / put hand to'. So 涉笔 is 'to wade into the brush', a literary way of saying 'to begin to write'.

Stroke Order

shè