封
surname Feng; to confer; to grant; to bestow a title; to seal
Closest English meanings
seal·envelope·confer·close
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
封 shows earth piled and planted with a tree as a boundary marker; the Shuowen calls it to seal or enclose. Zhou kings 封 (conferred) fiefs on lords, giving rise to 封建 (feudal) society. Letters were rolled and 封 (sealed) with clay, and frontiers were 封锁 (sealed off) in wartime to keep enemies out.
Common words & phrases
- 封建 feudal
- 信封 envelope
- 封闭 close · seal
- 封锁 blockade · seal off
- 封面 cover · front cover
- 封口 seal mouth · seal up
Read the story behind the character
You lick an 信封 (envelope) and drop a letter, or 封 (seal) a package with tape. Censors 封锁 (seal off, blockade) a road after an accident, and a book gets a 封面 (cover) at the printer. When the lid won't 封口 (seal up), the soup leaks — small 封 moments fill the day.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Wáng Xīzhī 王羲之, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.