The Calligrapher — Zhào Zhīqiān 赵之谦

Qing pioneer who fused seal-script vigor into every style.

Qing calligrapher (), master of 篆隶/running script — Qing eclectic who fused seal, clerical and painting sensibilities into one bold hand. Qing dynasty

Cultural Story

The Shuowen gives 嘏 as a great distant blessing, and the Rites (Li Ji) place it at the heart of sacrifice: the 祝嘏 is the prayer of blessing the priest relays from the ancestors to the living. In the Shi Jing the word appears as 純嘏, a vast and pure blessing wished upon the lord and his house. Rare and solemn, 嘏 named the moment in the rite when heaven's favor was spoken aloud and handed down — the oldest Chinese word for a blessing received.

Common words & phrases

• 祝嘏 offer blessings
• 纯嘏 great blessing

Read the story behind the character

At a temple fair an elder performs 祝嘏 (offers blessings) for the newborn; a classical-reading family wishes one another 純嘏 (great blessing) at the New Year. A scholar quotes 祝嘏 in a lecture on ritual, and a calligrapher brushes 純嘏 on a scroll for a wedding. 嘏 survives mostly in ceremony and learned writing — the formal, old-fashioned word for blessing that still graces rites, greetings, and the red couplets hung at life's important moments.