The Calligrapher — Dèng Shírú 邓石如

Qing revivalist who restored seal and clerical script to prominence.

Qing calligrapher (), master of seal script/clerical script — Qing self-taught reviver of seal and clerical script, carved energy in every stroke. Qing dynasty

Cultural Story

The 'Book of Songs' warns that when snow comes, the 霰 gathers first, the small hard pellets that arrive ahead of the soft fall — a sign, the ode says, of trouble creeping in before the storm. The 雪霰 of later winters kept that omen's edge, the 霰雪 rattling the tiles before the world went white. To hear 霰 was to know the deep cold had already begun.

Common words & phrases

• 霰雪 sleet · graupel and snow
• 雪霰 snow pellets · sleet

Read the story behind the character

A mountain weather station logs 霰雪 as the pellets bounce off the sensor before the snow starts, the 雪霰 rattling the hut roof. The ski patrol checks the 霰 band on the slope, knowing the 霰雪 makes the first layer slick. A researcher photographs the 雪霰 for the climate file, and the 霰 count feeds the morning report the town reads over breakfast.