Goat hair is the traditional material most commonly associated with the soft Chinese calligraphy brush.
These brushes are called 羊毫 (yángháo), meaning goat- or sheep-hair brush. Goat hair is relatively soft, flexible, and absorbent, allowing the brush to hold substantial quantities of ink and water. It is especially suited to broad, rounded, and fluid strokes, although its lack of stiffness can make it harder for beginners to control.
Chinese brushes are commonly classified as soft hair, hard hair, or mixed hair. Hard brushes traditionally use weasel or “wolf” hair—the latter name usually referring to yellow weasel rather than the canine wolf. Mixed brushes combine soft goat hair with harder hair to balance ink capacity and responsiveness; the famous Huzhou brush tradition is known for such combinations.
Rabbit, deer, pig, and other animal hairs have also been used, so goat hair is not the only possible brush material. The quiz asks about the soft type, however, for which goat hair is the standard and canonical answer. The brush’s bamboo handle and carefully shaped hair tip are equally important to its performance.