The Calligrapher — Lù Jiǎnzhī 陆柬之

Tang calligrapher and nephew of Yu Shinan; his running-script 'Essay on Literature' survives

Tang calligrapher (), master of running script — known for 《文赋》. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

The "Tales of Emperor Wu" has the courtier Dongfang Shuo steal a peach from the Queen Mother's orchard — the 偷桃 that won him a reputation for impudent magic. The word 偷 named a theft done with a grin, a scholar's prank against the immortals. It was stealing, but stealing touched with wit, the small rebellion of a clever man at court.

Common words & phrases

• 偷窃 steal · theft
• 小偷 thief
• 偷偷 secretly · covertly
• 偷看 peek · steal a glance
• 偷懒 loaf · be lazy
• 偷听 eavesdrop

Read the story behind the character

A 小偷 lifts a phone on the train; a child 偷看 a wrapped gift. A coworker 偷懒 at the copier, and a neighbour 偷听 through the wall. The word still means taking what is not offered — a glance, a rest, an item — the quiet thefts of the everyday, harmless or not, that no lock was built to stop.

Why this character belongs on skin

Some of the best things in a life are taken, not given, and the taking leaves no broken lock. To tōu is to slip into a moment that does not belong to the schedule, a kiss behind the stairwell, a cigarette at the window while the house sleeps. The word carries the thief's quiet thrill, but also his restraint, he steals only what no one will miss, the unused hour, the unguarded glance. In a church the sinner steals a minute of peace he believes he has not earned. By a river the wanderer steals a dawn he will never own. This is not dishonor; it is the art of living slightly outside the rules that bind everyone else. Mark it somewhere hidden, the inner forearm, the rib, and let it mean: I have taken my small freedoms, and I would do it again, because a life with no stolen hours is a life that was only ever accounted for, never truly lived.