The Calligrapher — Zhào Mèngfǔ 赵孟頫

Yuan master whose elegant regular and running script revived classical tradition.

Yuan calligrapher (1254–1322), master of regular script/running script/cursive script — Yuan reviver of classical elegance who could write any script beautifully and did. Yuan dynasty

Cultural Story

毛 in oracle bone script pictures a tuft of hair; the 說文解字 calls it '眉髮之屬', what belongs to brows and hair. It meant hair, fur, and feathers alike. Ancient texts used 毛 for the fine fur of animals and for rough, unfinished cloth. To be without 毛 was to be bare; 毛 was the smallest, most ordinary covering.

Common words & phrases

• 毛衣 sweater · woolen sweater
• 毛巾 towel · washcloth
• 毛笔 writing brush · brush pen
• 毛病 problem · fault · illness
• 羽毛 feather · plumage
• 毛利 gross profit · margin

Read the story behind the character

毛 is everywhere: a winter 毛衣 (sweater) keeps you warm, a 毛巾 (towel) wipes the face, a 毛筆 (brush pen) writes calligraphy. A car with a 毛病 (problem, fault) goes to the shop; a shopkeeper counts 毛利 (gross profit). Even 羽毛 (feathers) on a pillow remind us of the word's soft origin.