The Calligrapher — Ōuyáng Tōng 欧阳通
Tang regular-script master known for powerful, square strokes.
Tang calligrapher (?–691), master of regular script — known for 《道因法师碑》. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
濡 joins water with 需 (to wait), meaning to soak and be wetted through. Its most beloved line comes from the Zhuangzi: when two fish are stranded in a drying rut, they 相濡以沫 (moisten each other with spit), a poignant image of mutual care in extremity, later read as love's last devotion. The Shuowen gives 霑也, to dampen. A person steeped in rites is shaped by them, and 濡染 (imbued, influenced) describes how habits and company soak into us like water into cloth.
Common words & phrases
- 相濡以沫 help in hardship
- 濡湿 moisten · damp
- 濡染 imbue · influence
Read the story behind the character
濡 lives in one famous phrase and a few quiet words. Couples quote 相濡以沫 (helping each other in hardship) to describe sticking together through tough years, and a towel left in the rain gets 濡湿 (moistened, damp). Teachers say children are 濡染 (imbued, influenced) by the company they keep. Though 濡 alone is rare in chat, it carries one of Chinese literature's tenderest images, two creatures sharing their last drop rather than letting go.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Ōuyáng Tōng 欧阳通, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.