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
Laozi warns that “千里之行，始于足下” — the journey of a thousand li begins beneath the foot. 千 was the number that meant far beyond counting; 千里 the distance a letter or a refugee traveled, 千秋 the reign a court wished its prince. The word stretches the small hand to the horizon.
Common words & phrases
- 千万 must · ten million
- 一千 one thousand
- 千里 thousand li
- 千秋 thousand years
- 千岁 Your Highness
- 千变万化 ever-changing
Read the story behind the character
A sale screams 千万 in a warning text; 千里 is the gap a video call closes between migrant and child. 千秋 names the scenic spot a tour ad sells, and 千岁 the old form of address a period drama keeps for a prince. 千变万化 is the weather app's hourly mess, and 一千 the bill a market totals.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Wáng Xīzhī 王羲之, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.