與筆、墨、紙相比，硯雖然排名第四，似乎可有可無、好壞無妨，但實際上卻屬它受寵愛最厚。究其原因，大抵因其天生形質(zhì)與后天塑造，使其更適于觀賞與把玩。藏硯——千年來被視作文人雅士的逸志。

Compared with writing brush， ink stick and paper， ink stone is ranked the fourth， but is most doted on by the literatus， for it is more suitable for appreciation and collection on account of its natural beauty and well carving. The collection of ink stones has been the traditional hobby of Chinese literatus and scholars.endprint