The Calligrapher — Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权
Tang regular-script master famed for 'bones' of strength; rival to Yan Zhenqing.
Tang calligrapher (778–865), master of regular script — Tang master of bone-strength regular script, paired forever with Yan Zhenqing as 'Yan sinew, Liu bone'. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
汝 is an ancient second-person pronoun — 'you,' chiefly in the south; the 說文解字 says '水名也', a river, but its famous use is as 'thou.' The 書經 and 孟子 address listeners as 汝. It carried warmth and intimacy, the 'you' of teachers, friends, and the many voices that speak in the classics.
Common words & phrases
- 汝辈 you people · your generation
- 汝等 you (plural)
Read the story behind the character
汝 is archaic now: we meet it in 汝輩 (you people, your generation) and 汝等 (you, plural) in old texts and costume dramas. A philosopher on screen says 汝 to a student. Though 你 replaced it in speech, 汝 survives in poetry, history, and period TV as the intimate 'thou' of the past.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.