缮
to repair; to mend; to rewrite; to transcribe
Closest English meanings
to repair·to mend·to copy
The Calligrapher — Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权
Tang regular-script master famed for 'bones' of strength; rival to Yan Zhenqing.
Tang calligrapher (778–865), master of regular script — Tang master of bone-strength regular script, paired forever with Yan Zhenqing as 'Yan sinew, Liu bone'. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
缮 was the quartermaster's verb: to 缮甲兵, repair armor and weapons before a campaign; to mend walls before a siege; and in the archive, to 缮写 — copy documents out cleanly, fair text after rough draft. Classical administration ran on careful 缮: things wear out, and the competent state is the one that mends in time.
Common words & phrases
- 修缮 to repair · to renovate
- 缮写 to copy out · to write out
Read the story behind the character
Renovation notices post 修缮 (repair, renovate) schedules on aging apartment gates; the owners' committee debates the roof's 修缮费 over group chat. Calligraphy studios offer 缮写 (copy out, write out) of sutras as moving meditation, and heritage documentaries follow craftsmen who 修缮 ancient temples beam by beam, refusing every shortcut.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.