The Calligrapher — Sūn Guòtíng 孙过庭
Tang cursive master and author of the key treatise 'Shu Pu'.
Tang calligrapher (约646–691), master of cursive script — known for 《书谱》. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
舳 is the stern of a ship — the steering end — and it survives chiefly in the grand paired word 舳舻, stern and bow, meaning a fleet in line. The 汉书 describes Han flotillas stretching 舳舻千里, ships for a thousand li, and 苏轼 at the Red Cliff gazed at 舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空 — prows upon prows, banners blotting out the sky. It is a character made for looking down a river full of empire.
Common words & phrases
- 舳艫 ships in line
- 舳艫千里 ships stretching for miles
Read the story behind the character
舳 appears exactly once in your reading this year, in a borrowed essay quoting the 赤壁赋: 舳舻千里 — a fleet stretching a thousand li, stern after stern — where Cao Cao's armada burned. Your literature group argues about the pronunciation for twenty minutes, then agrees that no modern word quite carries the image of ships lined up bow to stern to the horizon.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Sūn Guòtíng 孙过庭, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.