noun
Historical occupation: a person who copies documents by hand or serves as a scribe. Not used for modern copy machines or digital copying.
江戸時代の筆生は、役所で公文書を書き写す仕事をしていた。
During the Edo period, a copyist worked at government offices copying official documents.
Compound of 筆 (brush, writing) and 生 (student, person). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term likely originated in the context of traditional brush-based document copying.