The Calligrapher — Hé Shàojī 何绍基

Qing master blending stele strength into running script.

Qing calligrapher (), master of running script/regular script — Qing master who wrote cursive with a sideways-held brush, all stele flavor. Qing dynasty

Cultural Story

穰 means grain heaped beyond need — the bumper year every ruler prayed for. The Records of the Grand Historian paints contentment in one stroke: 穰穰满家, abundance filling the house, jars and baskets overflowing. Almanacs marked 穰岁 prosperous years against lean ones, and in a truly good year the temple fair simply lasted days longer.

Common words & phrases

• 丰穰 abundant harvest · plenty
• 穰穰 abundant · profuse
• 穰岁 year of good harvest

Read the story behind the character

穰 is rare and festive, kept for blessings. New Year cards wish households 丰穰 abundance, a year rich and overflowing; calligraphers write 穰穰 in red ink hoping plenty will pile up at the door. Farmers call a bumper 穰岁 a harvest worth a feast, and antique rice jars often bear the character as a luck mark.