笔
Meaning
- writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc)
- brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy)
- (bound form) style of writing; literary manner; technique of brushwork
Measure word
支 zhī
Example sentence
这些是笔。
These are pens.
The character 笔
笔 is 竹, bamboo, over 毛, hair: the brush that wrote every character before pens. Now any writing tool — 铅笔, 毛笔 — and the marks it leaves: 笔记 notes, 笔记本 the book they go in.