The Calligrapher — Chǔ Suíliáng 褚遂良

Tang chancellor and regular-script master of elegant, balanced strokes.

Tang calligrapher (596–658), master of regular script — Tang master of graceful, tensile regular script favored by the imperial court. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

Qi is a rhetorical particle that opens questions of protest or astonishment, built from ancient markers of speech. In the Lun Yu and Meng Zi, masters use qi to sharpen a point, asking how a gentleman could do such a thing. The Shi Jing employs it for wounded irony. It never asks plainly; it insists, gibes and overturns the listener's assumption with moral force.

Common words & phrases

• 岂敢 how dare · I wouldn't dare · presume not
• 岂能 how could · how can · how be able
• 岂可 how can · how could · surely not
• 岂不 wouldn't that... · isn't it · does it not
• 岂有此理 outrageous · preposterous · shameless
• 岂止 not just · more than · not only

Read the story behind the character

Texting a friend who brags too much, you snap qi you ci li (outrageous) at some unfair rule. When they offer you a third helping you laugh qi gan (I would not dare). If someone doubts your skill you ask qi neng (how could you) and qi ke (how can that be). Plans spill on: qi zhi (not just) that, we are staying all weekend.