The Calligrapher — Lín Bū 林逋

Song recluse-poet whose running script is lean and ethereal.

Song calligrapher (), master of running script — known for 《自书诗卷》. Song dynasty

Cultural Story

浅 pairs water with 戋, few, to mean shallow, literally little water. The Zhuang zi mocks 浅 understanding that cannot fathom the deep dao, and poets contrast 浅 wine with true friendship. A 浅 stream could be crossed on foot, so the word gathered moral weight: a 浅 person lacks the depth of character.

Common words & phrases

• 深浅 depth · shallow and deep
• 浅显 simple · plain · easy
• 浅薄 superficial · shallow · meager
• 浅色 light color · pale color
• 肤浅 superficial · shallow

Read the story behind the character

We test the 深浅 (depth) of a tide pool with a stick and read 浅显 (simple, plain, easy) books to learn a language. Critics call a 浅薄 (superficial, shallow) argument thin, choose 浅色 (light color, pale color) clothes for summer, and pity a 肤浅 (superficial, shallow) chat that never goes deep.

Why this character belongs on skin

The water barely covers the stones — 浅 is the shallow, the light, the surface that shows you the bottom instead of hiding it. A 浅 stream you cross barefoot; a 浅 color the dawn wears; a 浅 word that says little and means exactly that. To be 浅 is not to be empty but to be honest about depth, to let the clear thing be clear. The West digs for the profound; the character wades the 浅 water and finds it cool. Wear 浅 where you keep your lightness, the collarbone, the ankle, the place that meets the air. Let it say you are not ashamed to be read at a glance. The ink is a shallow line on skin, a quiet pull toward the clarity you offer, and the peace of a depth that needs no pretending.