The Calligrapher — Wáng Xīzhī 王羲之

The 'Sage of Calligraphy'; his running script has set the standard for 1,700 years.

Eastern Jin calligrapher (303–361), master of running script/cursive script/regular script — the Sage of Calligraphy; his Orchid Pavilion Preface is the most celebrated work in the tradition, and nearly every later master traces lineage to his hand. Eastern Jin dynasty

Cultural Story

同 was together and the same. The Book of Rites dreamed of 大同, a great unity where the world was for all, not for one family. The strategists spoke of 同舟共济 -- crossing the river in the same boat, the travelers forced to pull as one. The word bound men to a shared state and a shared craft, the common oar and the common good.

Common words & phrases

• 同学 classmate
• 同事 colleague · coworker
• 同意 agree · consent
• 共同 common · joint · together
• 同时 simultaneously · at the same time
• 不同 different · not the same

Read the story behind the character

An 同学 reunion packs the old room; a 同事 shares the lunch. The two sides reach 共同 terms; the news arrives 同时 on every screen. The word runs the day's togetherness -- the classmate, the coworker, the agreement, the simultaneous. It names what is shared and what coincides, from the school photo to the signed memo, the bond that holds two people in one act.