The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿

Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.

Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

名 was the name and the fame. Laozi opened the Daodejing with "the name that can be named is not the constant name" -- 名可名，非常名. Confucius held that "when the name is right, the words follow" -- 名正言顺. The word carried the label and the renown, the tag on a thing and the light around a person who had earned one.

Common words & phrases

• 名字 name
• 著名 famous · renowned
• 名声 reputation · fame
• 名气 fame · reputation
• 姓名 full name
• 名人 celebrity · famous person

Read the story behind the character

A 名字 prints on the ID; a 著名 scientist gives the talk. The 名声 travels ahead of the restaurant; a 名人 fills the interview. The 姓名 goes on the form. The word does the day's labeling -- the given name, the reputation, the celebrity, the full title. It names what a person is called and what they are known for, from the register to the headline.