The Calligrapher — Wáng Duó 王铎

Late-Ming cursive master of monumental, turbulent brushwork.

明末清初 calligrapher (1592–1652), master of cursive script/running script — late-Ming master of wet-ink, falling-and-rising running cursive. late Ming–early Qing

Cultural Story

濑 is a water character for the shallow, fast stretch where a stream rushes over stones, the Shuowen gives 水流沙上也. The Chu Ci and the river poems of the Tang place travelers at the 湍濑 (rushing rapids) and 浅濑 (shallow rapids), the noisy, bright places that both delighted and endangered boatmen. The 濑水 (Lai River) of the south carries the name into geography. 濑 is the small, loud music of water hurrying across a bed it cannot quite cover, energy without depth.

Common words & phrases

• 湍濑 rushing rapids
• 浅濑 shallow rapids
• 濑水 Lai river

Read the story behind the character

濑 is a connoisseur's water word. White-water rafters chase the 湍濑 (rushing rapids), and a nature writer pauses at a 浅濑 (shallow rapids) to listen to stones ringing underwater. The 濑水 (Lai River) names towns and bridges in Jiangsu. You will not say 濑 at the market, but it shows up in travel essays and place signs for people who love the sound of a stream in a hurry. It is the character for water that is all speed and sparkle and very little depth.