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

根 is the root that grips the earth — the 木 underground — and the 老子 uses it as the source all things return to. 根据 is what you stand your argument on; 根源 is where a trouble begins. The character is the hidden hold, the beginning you cannot see from above but feel when you pull.

Common words & phrases

• 根本 fundamental · basic
• 根据 according to · basis
• 树根 tree root
• 根源 source · root cause
• 扎根 take root · settle
• 根治 cure completely · eradicate

Read the story behind the character

根 is the word of origins and cures: 树根 the slab cracking a sidewalk, 根本 the word for what truly matters, 根据 the based on in every report. 扎根 is the NGO that settles in a village; 根治 the doctor's promise to end a disease. The character is the deep hold and the deep cause beneath the floor.