The Calligrapher — Cuī Yuàn 崔瑗

Han pioneer of cursive script and author of an early cursive treatise.

Han calligrapher (77–142), master of cursive script/clerical cursive — known for 《贤女帖》. Han dynasty

Cultural Story

渊 is the deep pool where the dragon hides; the Shijing and Zhuangzi warn that the 深渊 (abyss) rewards the cautious. A 渊博 (erudite) scholar had read the classics through, and the 渊源 (origin) of a rite traced back to the founders. The gap between wise and foolish was a 天渊 (vast) difference indeed.

Common words & phrases

• 深渊 abyss · deep gulf
• 渊博 erudite · profound
• 渊深 deep · profound
• 天渊 vast difference
• 渊源 origin · source

Read the story behind the character

The novel's 深渊 (abyss) metaphor scares the film's young viewers, and a 渊博 (erudite) professor lectures in three languages. Their family's 渊源 (origin) in the trade goes back centuries, while the 渊深 (deep, profound) lake hides trout anglers prize. The price gap is a 天渊 difference between brands.

Why this character belongs on skin

Yuān is the pool with no bottom you find at the bend of a mountain stream, black water that swallows the sky and gives back nothing. The Daoists called the sage 渊兮, deep beyond fathoming, a stillness so profound it hides the current. Confucius stood at such water and feared it; the brave man dives. Christians cast their demons into the deep; the abyss is where the unclean is sent and where, sometimes, wisdom is kept. To wear yuān is to admit you have looked into your own depth and not run. Not everyone has a bottom worth fearing. There is a seductive dark in being unfathomable — lovers sense it, enemies fear it. Wear this character over your chest like a closed well. It says you hold water no one has measured, that some part of you was made to stay deep, and that the right person will not be afraid to drown a little to find you.