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

毛 in oracle bone script pictures a tuft of hair; the 說文解字 calls it '眉髮之屬', what belongs to brows and hair. It meant hair, fur, and feathers alike. Ancient texts used 毛 for the fine fur of animals and for rough, unfinished cloth. To be without 毛 was to be bare; 毛 was the smallest, most ordinary covering.

Common words & phrases

• 毛衣 sweater · woolen sweater
• 毛巾 towel · washcloth
• 毛笔 writing brush · brush pen
• 毛病 problem · fault · illness
• 羽毛 feather · plumage
• 毛利 gross profit · margin

Read the story behind the character

毛 is everywhere: a winter 毛衣 (sweater) keeps you warm, a 毛巾 (towel) wipes the face, a 毛筆 (brush pen) writes calligraphy. A car with a 毛病 (problem, fault) goes to the shop; a shopkeeper counts 毛利 (gross profit). Even 羽毛 (feathers) on a pillow remind us of the word's soft origin.