The Calligrapher — Zhào Mèngfǔ 赵孟頫

Yuan master whose elegant regular and running script revived classical tradition.

Yuan calligrapher (1254–1322), master of regular script/running script/cursive script — Yuan reviver of classical elegance who could write any script beautifully and did. Yuan dynasty

Cultural Story

穑 is the harvest half of the ancient pair 稼穑 — to sow, then to reap. The Documents make 稼穑 the measure of a ruler: one who knows the pain of farm labor governs well. Autumn scenes of sickles and bound sheaves fill old poems, and 耕穑 ploughing and reaping stood for the whole honest life of the fields.

Common words & phrases

• 稼穑 farming · sowing and reaping
• 耕穑 plough and harvest · farming
• 穑事 farming affairs

Read the story behind the character

穑 rarely stands alone now, but its famous partner carries it. Teachers explain 稼穑 sowing and reaping when quoting the classics; agriculture officials write about 穑事 the business of harvest in policy papers. Rural tourism ads promise city families a taste of 耕穑 — a weekend of cutting grain the old way.