大漆是什么？"百里千刀一斤漆"说的是什么

很多人以为漆器上的"漆"就是油漆。两者不是一类东西。漆器用的是大漆，也叫生漆，取自漆树，是树的汁液；油漆则是工业合成的涂料。弄清这一个区别，后面关于漆器的许多疑问都会迎刃而解。

▍一、漆从哪里来

漆树是一种落叶乔木，分布在我国多个省份的山区。割漆的做法是在树皮上开一道口子，让汁液慢慢渗出，再用容器接住。刚流出来的漆液呈乳白色，接触空气后逐渐转为褐色，最后变成接近黑的深色。

产区里有一句老话："百里千刀一斤漆。"说的是割漆人要走的远路、要下的刀数，与最终得到的那点漆之间的比例。这句话没有精确的统计口径，它传递的是一件事：这种材料的获取成本，高在人力与时间，不高在原料本身。

一只粗陶碗里盛着深褐色的漆液，表面浮着一层细密的光

▍二、漆为什么会"咬人"

接触生漆后出现皮肤红肿、发痒，是漆器行业里常见的现象，业内叫"漆咬"或"漆疮"。原因是生漆中含有漆酚这一类物质，部分人对其过敏。过敏程度因人而异，有人初次接触就有反应，有人做了很多年才有。

一节漆树树干的斜切口，口沿下方挂着一小段接漆的竹片

需要说明的是，过敏反应发生在液态生漆阶段。漆器成品经过髹涂、阴干与固化之后，漆膜已经稳定，日常接触不会再引起这类反应。

▍三、漆膜为什么这么耐用

大漆固化之后形成的漆膜，结构致密，对水、酸、碱都有较好的耐受性，也能承受一定的温度。考古出土的漆器中，有不少在地下埋藏多年后仍保持完整，靠的就是这层膜。

平遥推光漆器髹饰技艺所用的涂料取自漆树的天然汁液；这门技艺于 2006 年列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录，名录信息由文化和旅游部公布。

耐用的前提是把工序做完整。髹涂一遍要阴干一遍，阴干房里的温度与湿度决定漆膜的成败，急不得；干透之后还要反复打磨与推光。省略其中任何一步，漆膜的寿命都会打折。

▍问答

问｜大漆和平时说的油漆是一回事吗

答｜不是。大漆取自漆树的汁液，属于天然材料，靠阴干固化成膜；油漆是工业合成的涂料，靠溶剂挥发或化学反应成膜。两者在成分、干燥方式与成品寿命上都不一样，价格差异也来自这里。

问｜生漆过敏是怎么回事，做好的漆器还会让人过敏吗

答｜过敏发生在液态生漆阶段，诱因是其中的漆酚类物质，反应程度因人而异。成品经过髹涂、阴干与固化后漆膜已经稳定，日常使用不会再引起这类反应。若已知自己对漆酚过敏，参观工坊时避开生漆操作区即可。

问｜为什么漆器不能烘干，一定要阴干

答｜因为大漆的固化靠的是漆酶在适宜温湿度下的催化反应，而不是水分蒸发。温度过高会让表面先结膜、内部未干，日后容易起皱或开裂；湿度过低则反应几乎停止。阴干房要控的是一整套温湿度区间，这就是它无法被替代的原因。

问｜韵和鸣的漆器用的是什么漆，为什么强调手工

答｜用取自漆树的天然大漆，工序按传统做法走：髹涂、阴干、打磨、推光，一遍都不能省。强调手工，是因为每一道的判断都在手上——漆液稠不稠、干到几分可以磨、推光推到什么程度收手，机器给不出这些反馈。

▍说在最后

一种材料要走过多少路才能变成一层膜，决定了它值不值得被认真对待。

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〖史〗

English

The lacquer tree is a deciduous species found in mountain areas across several Chinese provinces. Tapping means opening a slit in the bark, letting the sap seep out slowly, and catching it in a container. Freshly flowing lacquer is milky white; exposed to air it turns gradually brown, and finally to a near-black dark tone.

In the producing areas there is an old saying: a hundred li of walking, a thousand cuts, one catty of lacquer. It describes the ratio between the distance a tapper walks and the cuts he makes, and the small amount of lacquer that results. The saying carries no precise statistical basis; what it conveys is that the cost of this material lies in labour and time, not in the raw substance.

A coarse pottery bowl holding dark brown lacquer, a fine sheen resting on its surface

Redness, swelling and itching after contact with raw lacquer are common in the trade, known as being bitten by lacquer. The cause is a group of substances in raw lacquer called urushiol, to which some people are allergic. Severity varies by individual: some react at first contact, others only after years of work.

A slanted cut on a lacquer tree trunk, a short bamboo chip fixed beneath the lip to catch the sap

One point worth noting: the allergic reaction occurs at the liquid stage. Once a finished piece has been coated, dried in the shade and cured, the film is stable, and ordinary handling will not trigger that reaction.

Once cured, the lacquer film is dense in structure, resists water, acid and alkali reasonably well, and tolerates a degree of heat. Among excavated lacquerware, many remain intact after years underground, and it is this film that accounts for it.

The coating used in Pingyao polished lacquerware comes from the natural sap of the lacquer tree; the craft entered China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006, and its project details can be found on the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network.

Durability presupposes a complete process. Each coat must be followed by drying in the shade, where temperature and humidity decide whether the film succeeds, and that cannot be hurried; once dry, repeated sanding and hand-polishing follow. Skip any step and the film's lifespan shortens.

Are raw lacquer and ordinary paint the same thing?

No. Raw lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, a natural material that cures into a film by drying in the shade; paint is an industrial coating that forms a film as solvent evaporates or a reaction proceeds. They differ in composition, drying method and service life of the finished piece, and the price gap follows from that.

What is raw lacquer allergy, and can finished lacquerware still trigger it?

Allergy occurs at the liquid stage and is caused by urushiol-type substances, with severity varying between individuals. Once a piece has been coated, shade-dried and cured, the film is stable and ordinary use will not trigger it. Anyone who knows they are sensitive should simply avoid the raw-lacquer working area when visiting a workshop.

Why can't lacquerware be oven-dried instead of shade-dried?

Because raw lacquer cures through an enzyme-catalysed reaction under suitable temperature and humidity, not through evaporation. Excessive heat skins the surface while the interior stays wet, causing later wrinkling or cracking; too little humidity and the reaction nearly stops. A drying room controls an entire band of temperature and humidity, which is why it cannot be replaced.

What lacquer does YUNHEMING use, and why insist on handwork?

Natural raw lacquer tapped from the lacquer tree, following the traditional sequence: coating, drying in the shade, sanding and hand-polishing, with none of the steps omitted. Handwork is insisted upon because every judgement sits in the hand: whether the lacquer is the right consistency, how far it has dried before sanding, when to stop polishing. Machines give none of that feedback.

How far a material must travel before it becomes a film decides whether it deserves to be taken seriously.

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