张
surname Zhang; to open up; to spread; sheet of paper
Closest English meanings
open·stretch·Zhang (surname)·spread·post
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
張 is to bend the bow and string it — the drawn weapon, then any spreading open. 張良 was the strategist who bent empires without drawing a blade, and the character kept his reach: to open, to post, to stretch a thing until it shows its full face.
Common words & phrases
- 张开 open · spread · unfold · extend
- 张扬 make public · show off · publicize
- 张望 look around · peer · glance about
- 紧张 nervous · tense · strained · uptight
- 主张 advocate · view · stand · opinion
- 张贴 post up · paste up · put up · placard
Read the story behind the character
紧张 is the sweat before the interview, 张贴 the notice someone tapes to the door, 主张 the opinion a columnist will not soften, 张望 the glance over a crowded platform. The bow is a nerve and a poster now; we still draw things open, often to see what frightens us.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Mǐ Fú 米芾, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.