The Calligrapher — Zhì Yǒng 智永

Sui monk who spread Wang Xizhi's art via his 'Thousand Characters'.

Sui calligrapher (生卒年不详（陈/隋）), master of regular script/cursive script — monk and seventh-generation descendant of Wang Xizhi who wrote a thousand copies of the Thousand Character Classic to pass the family hand down. Sui dynasty

Cultural Story

厭 is the older script for 厌, first "full", then "wearied" and "loathed". Confucius said he was never satisfied with study -- 学而不厌. The greedy are 贪得无厌, never filled. The traditional strokes keep the heart beneath; the feeling is a fullness turned sour, a satisfaction that has spoiled into disgust. The word began at the full table.

Common words & phrases

• 讨厌 dislike · hate · annoying
• 厌烦 be sick of · be tired of · bored
• 厌倦 tired of · weary · fed up
• 厌恶 detest · abhor · disgust
• 贪得无厌 insatiable · greedy beyond satiety

Read the story behind the character

A listener grows 厌烦 with the same joke told twice; a reader is 厌倦 of the endless scroll. Someone says he 讨厌 the noise next door, or 厌恶 a dishonest act. The boss is 贪得无厌, taking the bonus and then the next. The traditional form meets the eye in books and signs, but the feeling is plain and current -- the worn patience of any ordinary day.