The Calligrapher — Cuī Yuàn 崔瑗

Han pioneer of cursive script and author of an early cursive treatise.

Han calligrapher (77–142), master of cursive script/clerical cursive — known for 《贤女帖》. Han dynasty

Cultural Story

萬 once showed a scorpion, a creature so prolific the graph became ten thousand. 莊子 speaks of 萬物 as the ten thousand things breathing without ceasing. An emperor's birthday drew the cry 萬歲, may you live ten thousand years, though no one believed it. The 史記 tallies 萬戶 as a measure of fief and household, a number too large to picture.

Common words & phrases

• 万岁 long live · hurrah · His Majesty
• 万物 all things · everything · the universe
• 万一 just in case · one in ten thousand · unlikely event
• 万能 almighty · all-powerful · universal
• 万象 all phenomena · everything · the myriad things
• 万事 everything · all matters · all things

Read the story behind the character

万事通 is the know-it-all at the office; 万象城 is a shopping megamall in a dozen cities. 万一 you forget your umbrella, the rain will teach you. 万能 is slapped on glue and remote controls alike. The word no longer means a real count, it means a whole lot, the way English says a million. It has shrunk into an intensifier and a brand name.