The Calligrapher — Wáng Xīzhī 王羲之

The 'Sage of Calligraphy'; his running script has set the standard for 1,700 years.

Eastern Jin calligrapher (303–361), master of running script/cursive script/regular script — the Sage of Calligraphy; his Orchid Pavilion Preface is the most celebrated work in the tradition, and nearly every later master traces lineage to his hand. Eastern Jin dynasty

Cultural Story

五 is the central number of the old cosmic scheme, the five phases, the five directions with center, the 五岳 sacred peaks guarding the realm. The 書經 orders the world in fives. A gentleman tuned to 五音, the five notes before the scale grew. Five was balance with a middle, the count that held the cosmos together at its hub.

Common words & phrases

• 五十 fifty
• 五月 May · fifth month
• 五色 five colors
• 五官 facial features
• 五音 five tones
• 五岳 Five Sacred Mountains

Read the story behind the character

五十 is the birthday crisis; 五月 the holiday that is not. 五色 is the printer and the festival lantern; 五官 the face the doctor checks. 五音 is the tone-deaf joke; 五岳 the mountains on the backpacker's list. The number now mostly files the calendar and the body, but it keeps a ceremonial echo, the five that once organized heaven, now organizing your features and your vacation photos.