The four arts, or the four arts of the Chinese scholar, were the four main academic and artistic talents required of the aristocratic ancient Chinese scholar-gentlemen. They were the mastery of the qin (the guqin, a stringed instrument), qi (the strategy game of Go), shu (Chinese calligraphy), and hua (Chinese painting), and are also referred to by listing all four, 琴棋書畫; qínqíshūhuà. — “Four Arts”, wikipedia