The Calligrapher — Péi Xiū 裴休

Tang chancellor and calligrapher; author of the Guifeng Stele in regular script.

Tang calligrapher (), master of regular script — known for 《圭峰碑》. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

犬 is the dog, humanity's oldest ally. The Shijing hunts with 犬; 犬牙 canine teeth and 犬类 canines fill the naturalists' lists. 警犬 police dogs and 军犬 military dogs guarded gates and borders; a 犬舍 kennel housed the pack. The char is loyalty and the watchful edge, the beast at the threshold, teeth bared for friend or foe alike.

Common words & phrases

• 犬牙 canine tooth · dog's tooth
• 警犬 police dog · guard dog
• 军犬 military dog · war dog
• 犬类 dogs · canines
• 犬舍 kennel · doghouse

Read the story behind the character

A 警犬 police dog sniffs luggage at the airport; a 军犬 military dog serves at the base. We brush a pet's 犬牙 canine tooth and build a 犬舍 kennel in the yard; 犬类 dogs fill the park at dawn. From the loyal 犬 that greets you to the working 犬 that protects a city, the char is devotion with teeth.

Why this character belongs on skin

犬 is the dog, drawn in a single curve of loyalty — the first animal to choose humanity and never take it back. He asks for little and gives everything: the boundless greeting at the door, the watchful sleep at the foot of the bed, the devotion that asks no reason. To wear 犬 is to honor fidelity as a form of grace. In a world that teaches us to trade up, to optimize, to leave, the dog stays. He is the peasant's philosopher, the warrior's companion, the lonely man's whole church. Carry him and you carry a vow of steadfastness — not to a person necessarily, but to the principle that love means remaining. Let the mark sit close, a small warm weight, and remember: the highest thing a creature can do is choose you again tomorrow. That is the only religion worth inking.