The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿

Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.

Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty

Cultural Story

喳 is a late, sound-driven character of the spoken tongue, rarely seen in the Confucian classics but lively in the Ming and Qing vernacular novels, where serving maids answer '喳' and sparrows go 喳喳 in the courtyard. It belongs to the family of birdsong words — like 喈 and 嘤 — that painters and poets used to bring a garden to life. Though not ancient, it carries the old Chinese delight in catching, with the mouth radical, the exact small noise of the world.

Common words & phrases

• 叽叽喳喳 chirp · chatter
• 喳喳 chatter

Read the story behind the character

At recess a flock of schoolgirls talks 嘰嘰喳喳 (chirping and chattering) by the fence; a balcony of sparrows goes 喳喳 (chatter) at dawn and wakes the neighbor. Office workers 喳喳 over lunch about weekend plans, and a group chat lights up with 嘰嘰喳喳 messages before a trip. 喳 is the sound of light, harmless talk — the human and feathered chatter that fills ordinary days with company.