The Calligrapher — Dèng Shírú 邓石如

Qing revivalist who restored seal and clerical script to prominence.

Qing calligrapher (), master of seal script/clerical script — Qing self-taught reviver of seal and clerical script, carved energy in every stroke. Qing dynasty

Cultural Story

《説文解字》gives 鼍 as “水蟲，似蜥易，長丈所” (a water creature like a lizard, about a zhang long), a phono-semantic compound from the 黽 radical with the sound 單. The Chinese alligator basked in southern rivers; its tough hide was stretched over frames to make the booming 鼍鼓 war drum.

Common words & phrases

• 鼍龙 Chinese alligator
• 鼍鼓 alligator-skin drum
• 鼍矶 alligator rock

Read the story behind the character

The 鼍龙 (Chinese alligator) lurks in Yangtze wetlands, the 鼍鼓 (alligator-skin drum) thundered in ancient armies, and 鼍矶 (alligator rock) names crags in lore. Conservation parks now protect the rare 鼍, while museums display drum frames that once echoed its hide across the battlefield.