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

欢 meant joy and the warmth of meeting. The Shuowen links it to a glad heart, and classical verse brimmed with 欢乐 merriment at feasts and festivals. To 欢迎 was to turn and greet a guest with delight, and 欢喜 described the contentment of a quiet evening. The character carried no gloom; it was the sound of a household at ease.

Common words & phrases

• 欢乐 happy · joyful · cheerful
• 欢迎 welcome · greet · receive
• 欢快 cheerful · lively · merry
• 喜欢 like · love · be fond of
• 欢笑 laugh · laughter · mirth
• 欢喜 joyful · happy · delighted

Read the story behind the character

Today 欢 fills daily talk: friends 欢迎 welcome you at the door, children are 欢快 cheerful as they run, and people 喜欢 like or love a song or a meal. We share 欢笑 laughter over hotpot, feel 欢喜 joyful at good news, and post 欢乐 happy moments online. From a birthday party to a text that says I miss you, 欢 is the small, bright currency of getting along.

Why this character belongs on skin

Joy, in the old script, was a bird and a heart together — something that flies and something that feels, joined. 欢 is not the loud happiness of a sale or a score; it is the quieter delight of recognition, the moment your face finds someone else's across a room. We are suspicious of joy, as if wanting it cheapens it. But the character insists otherwise: gladness is native to us, a bird that winters in the chest. To carry 欢 is to refuse the pose of the permanently wounded. It is permission to be happy without apology, to let the heart do what it was built to do. Wear it close, where only you and the right person will see. Some ink is a warning. This one is an invitation — to the life that was always trying to make you smile.