The Calligrapher — Huáng Tíngjiān 黄庭坚
Song master of elongated, radical running and cursive script.
Song calligrapher (1045–1105), master of running script/cursive script — Song master of long, sweeping, deliberately stretched running strokes. Song dynasty
Cultural Story
鼯 names the flying squirrel, a creature ancient Chinese naturalists knew from misty mountain forests. Early dictionaries like the Erya listed it among the rodents, describing an animal that glided between pines on outstretched membranes, its cries haunting travelers at dusk. Because it lived in remote peaks, the character became a rare, scholarly word, appearing in rhapsodies about distant wilderness.
Common words & phrases
- 鼯鼠 flying squirrel
- 鼯猴 flying lemur
Read the story behind the character
Today 鼯 survives almost only in books: a 鼯鼠 is a flying squirrel, gliding from branch to branch with its parachute-like skin folds, while a 鼯猴 is a flying lemur of Southeast Asian forests. Nature documentaries and zoo signs use the character, delighting readers who spot this gentle old glyph describing tree-dwelling gliders.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Huáng Tíngjiān 黄庭坚, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.