零
zero; nought; zero sign; fractional; fragmentary; odd (of numbers); (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one); fraction; (in mathematics) remainder (after division); extra; to wither and fall; to wither
Closest English meanings
zero·fragmentary·odd
The Calligrapher — Xuē Shàopéng 薛绍彭
Northern Song calligrapher paired with Mi Fu as 'Mi-Xue'; a pure Jin-style (Wang) classicist.
Song calligrapher (生卒年不详（北宋）), master of running script/cursive script — known for 《杂书卷》. Song dynasty
Cultural Story
The 'Book of Songs' describes a lover meeting at dawn where 'the 零 dew lies thick upon the grass,' the character here meaning the falling of droplets rather than the number. A 零度 night in later verse was simply the point where that dew turns to rime. To write 零 was to watch things come apart drop by drop, the scattered 零头 of a season shedding its last moisture.
Common words & phrases
- 零件 parts · spare parts · component
- 零钱 small change · loose change
- 零度 zero degrees
- 零散 scattered · fragmentary
- 零头 odd lot · remainder
Read the story behind the character
A mechanic spreads 零件 across the bench, hunting the missing 零件 for a pump that will not prime, while the till drawer jingles with 零钱 from the morning's sales. The forecast reads 零度 by dawn, and a customer asks for the 零散 bulbs sold singly rather than boxed. The shop's 零头 of odd fittings fills a jar labelled 'spares.'
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Xuē Shàopéng 薛绍彭, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.