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

The tale 'Carving the Boat to Find the Sword' in the Lüshi Chunqiu tells of a man who drops his blade in the river and 遽契其舟 — hastily notches the hull to mark the spot. 遽 here means sudden, flurried haste. The word lives on in 急遽 change and 惶遽 panic, the quickened pulse of someone who acts before he thinks.

Common words & phrases

• 急遽 sudden · abrupt
• 惶遽 alarmed · flustered
• 匆遽 hurried · hasty

Read the story behind the character

On the trading floor a 急遽 drop in the index sends clerks scrambling for the phone. A delayed train leaves commuters 匆遽, checking watches and rebooking on their phones. When the fire alarm sounds, the 惶遽 crowd presses toward the stairwell before the guard restores order. The character marks every moment the world speeds up without warning.