The Calligrapher — Lù Jiǎnzhī 陆柬之

Tang calligrapher and nephew of Yu Shinan; his running-script 'Essay on Literature' survives

Tang calligrapher (), master of running script — known for 《文赋》. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

温 is water warmed, hence gentle and mild; Confucius praised a 温和 (gentle) disciple, and the Lunyu prized 温 learning reviewed often. The Shijing wished 温暖 (warmth) to the wanderer's home, and physicians took the 体温 (body temperature) by hand to judge a fever. A 温室 (warm room) sheltered rare plants.

Common words & phrases

• 温暖 warm · warmth
• 温度 temperature
• 温和 gentle · mild · moderate
• 体温 body temperature
• 温室 greenhouse · hothouse
• 气温 air temperature · atmospheric temperature

Read the story behind the character

The 气温 (air temperature) drops, so she turns on the 温暖 (warm) heater, and the 温室 (greenhouse) keeps the tomatoes growing. His 温和 (gentle, mild) reply defuses the argument, while the nurse records your 体温 (body temperature) at the clinic. The 温度 (temperature) of the bath is just right.

Why this character belongs on skin

Water over a vessel of grain, warmed gently — this character is soup on a cold night, a bath drawn for someone you love, tea reheated because you lost track of time talking. Tenderness and warmth both live in its compounds, and Confucianism crowned gentleness among the virtues, believing that heat without warmth is merely violence at a simmer. The best people are like this: seasoned, not scalding; they hold you the way held water holds heat, slowly and evenly, without spikes. There is also memory in the character — warm the old and it becomes new again, say the Analects. Reread the letter. Revisit the love; it may have changed shape and still be true. Ink this where your pulse runs close to the surface, the inside of the wrist. You are a warm-blooded creature in a cold century. Be the room someone exhales in.