When a child first picked up a crayon, a line might have been the first mark he made. Then he learned to draw a straight line with the help of a ruler. He used lines to write numbers, symbols, and the letters of the alphabet. The lines on a map helped him find the best route from one place to another. He also used lines to draw pictures.
当一个孩子第一次拿起蜡笔时，画出的第一个痕迹可能就是一条线。然后，在尺子的帮助下，他学会了画直线。他用线条来写数字、符号和字母表中的字母。地图上的线条帮他找到从一个地方到另一个地方的最佳路线。他还会用线条画画。
Lines are everywhere. You can see lines in the grain of a piece of wood or in the cracks on a narrow sidewalk. You can see lines outside a building or in the field. Lines are also used to create art. In drawing, line is an element of art that is the path of a moving point through space.
线条无处不在。你可以在一块木头的纹理或狭窄人行道的裂缝中看到线条。你也可以在建筑物外或田野里看到线条。线条还可以用于艺术创作。在绘画中，线条是一种艺术元素，它是一个移动的点在空间中的轨迹。
Artists use lines to lead your eyes through a work of art. A line can be drawn on paper with a pencil or scratched into wet clay with a stick. Depending on its direction, a line can express different ideas or feelings.
艺术家用线条来引导你的视线去浏览艺术作品。线条可以用铅笔在纸上画出，也可以用棍子在湿黏土上刻划。根据其方向，线条可以表达不同的思想或情感。
Lines are used to express different images in Chinese calligraphic drawing. The word "calligraphy" means beautiful handwriting. In China, calligraphy is used to form characters that represent the language. Characters are more than just a letter of the alphabet. They can represent an idea, an object, or a verbal sound. Calligraphic lines are usually made with brushstrokes that change from thin to thick in one stroke. To make a thin line, artists use the tip of the brush. As you press on the brush and more of it touches the paper, the line becomes wider.
在中国书法绘画中，线条被用来表现不同的意象。“书法”一词的意思是漂亮的笔迹。在中国，书法用于书写代表语言的汉字。汉字不仅仅是字母表中的一个字母。它们可以代表一个想法、一个物体或一个语音。书法线条通常是一笔完成，笔画从细到粗逐渐变化。为了画出一条细线，艺术家们会使用毛笔的笔尖。当你按压笔刷，有更多的刷毛接触到纸时，线条就会变得更宽。