The Calligrapher — Wáng Qià 王洽

Eastern Jin calligrapher of running script, a leading figure among the Wang family masters.

Eastern Jin calligrapher (), master of running script — known for 王导族子. Eastern Jin dynasty

Cultural Story

件 is 人 with 牛, originally a matter, a unit of business, perhaps a matter weighed like a beast at the market. The 說文 reads it as a separate item. It became the counter for things clothed or counted singly: a 文件, a 事件. The character is the discrete unit, the one piece pulled from the pile and dealt with on its own.

Common words & phrases

• 文件 document · file
• 条件 condition · term
• 事件 event · incident
• 零件 part · component
• 一件 one piece

Read the story behind the character

文件 is the PDF and the memo; 条件 the term you negotiate and the if. 事件 is the incident and the scandal; 零件 the spare in the drawer. 一件 is the measure, 一件衣服, one garment. The character is the counter and the category, the item separated from the heap. You use it to individuate, the document, the part, the event, the single piece the ancient market tallied beside the ox.