The Calligrapher — Zhāng Yǔ 张雨

Yuan Taoist calligrapher who studied under Zhao Mengfu; known for regular and running script.

Yuan calligrapher (), master of regular script/running script — known for 《题画诗》. Yuan dynasty

Cultural Story

To pluck cassia in the changong, the moon palace, was the classical image for topping the imperial examinations, a scholar's highest hope written in toad and tree. The same moon toad yields chansu, a dried venom still pressed into heart pills like Liu Shen Wan. The humble pond toad thus links the examination hall to the pharmacist's drawer.

Common words & phrases

• 蟾蜍 toad
• 蟾宫 moon palace (toad/moon)
• 蟾酥 toad venom (medicine)

Read the story behind the character

In the pharmacy a clerk bags Liu Shen Wan lozenges whose active chansu comes from toad skin, while a student jokes about passing exams by reaching the changong. In the garden pond a chanchu floats among the reeds, unbothered by either metaphor. The character ties an ancient exam dream and a real medicine to the warty animal squatting at the edge of the water.