The Calligrapher — Lù Yóu 陆游

Song poet of prolific, vigorous running and cursive script.

Song calligrapher (), master of running script/cursive script — known for 《自书诗卷》. Song dynasty

Cultural Story

绿 began as a dyeing word: silk steeped until it took the color of new grass. 王安石 made it famous as a verb in 春风又绿江南岸, the spring wind greens the southern banks again. 白居易 poured new wine whose green foam he called 绿蚁. Green marked spring, youth, and the willow banks of every farewell poem.

Common words & phrases

• 绿色 green
• 绿化 afforestation
• 碧绿 dark green
• 绿叶 green leaf
• 绿灯 green light

Read the story behind the character

Green runs through the everyday commute: you wait for the 绿灯 (green light) at every crossing and tap the 绿色 (green) app icons on the subway. Cities push 绿化 (afforestation), planting trees along ring roads; menus advertise 绿色食品; and after rain the campus 绿叶 (green leaves) shine 碧绿 (dark green) outside the classroom windows.

Why this character belongs on skin

Green — not the soft pastel but the deep living green of a rice field after rain, the color the Chinese called the color of life itself. 绿 is the hue of spring, of the willow by the river, of the robe a freed courtier wore to say he had left power for the hills. To carry 绿 is to side with growing things, with the return after the burn. We are taught to admire gold and red, the colors of empire; but 绿 is the color that keeps the empire fed. The poet who quit his post went 绿, into the mountains, into the only freedom that lasts. This is the ink for the person who has chosen life over titles, the quiet green under the noise. Wear it where it can be hidden or shown, a small field under the skin, a reminder that whatever was cut will grow again, that you are, at root, a thing that turns toward the light and refuses to stay brown.