The Calligrapher — Mǐ Fú 米芾

Song eccentric genius of dynamic, 'flying' running script.

Song calligrapher (1051–1107), master of running script — Song eccentric genius ('crazy Zhang, idiot Mi') whose running script alternates discipline with glee. Song dynasty

Cultural Story

The Shuowen gives 如 as 'to follow,' built from a woman (女) and a mouth (口) — the image of compliance — yet the classics turned it into the most supple word of comparison: 'as,' 'like,' 'if.' The Analects urges learning '如切如磋,' like carving jade, and the Mencius weighs every case with 如此. The 如意, the ruyi scepter, named the wish that goes 'as the heart wills.' From a single graph, 如 let the ancients liken, suppose, and hope — the hinge of metaphor and condition alike.

Common words & phrases

• 如果 if · in case
• 如意 as one wishes · ruyi scepter
• 如同 like · as
• 比如 for example · such as
• 如此 so · such · in this way
• 如实 truthfully · as things are

Read the story behind the character

A friend says 如果 (if, in case) it rains we'll stay in; she buys a 如意 (as one wishes, ruyi scepter) as a lucky charm. The two sisters are 如同 (like, as) twins in habit, and a teacher gives 比如 (for example, such as) to explain. A reporter must write 如實 (truthfully, as things are), and the year ended 如此 (so, such, in this way). 如 is the modern word for likeness and condition — the 'if,' the 'like,' and the 'as it is' of everyday speech.