The Chinese have a term for cell phone users: Ditouzhu 低頭族（低头族), or the clan of those with lowered heads. It encompasses the young and the old, the mobile and the bedridden. Everyone with a cell phone attached. Cell phone users are slowly catching on. On the popular show Shark Tank, 2 guys pitched the “NoPhone”, […]
Find the spirit of the brush! The soul of the brush reminds artists to use the brush with energy, offering calligraphy a life and spirit of its own. Character meaning : 筆魂 (笔魂 Bǐ hún) Pen/brush soul Style: Mix of Standard and running font 行楷
2016 was full of surprises. New Year’s Resolution: Let it Go Character meaning from right to left: 捨得(舍得 Shěde)-Willing to part with, 放下 Fàngxià- Put down Style: Standard #楷書) A storied fable describes an older monk and a younger monk running into an elderly woman by a stream. As soon as she saw them, she […]
勇 Yǒng －Courage, strength, bravery Font: Standard script 楷書 (楷书kǎishū)In Chinese history, the legend of Huā Mùlán 花木蘭 (花木兰 ) from the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) is heralded as a great story of courage. Mulan’s father was an aging retired […]
In Chinese calligraphy: 醉 Zuì, meaning drunk. As the year rolls to an end, we raise a glass to celebrate. Breaking down the 醉character, we see that “酉”represents alcohol (which is 酒 Jiǔ), and “卒” represents the end. Alcohol drunk until the end generally leads to a state of drunkenness. Single characters in Chinese often become […]
Shufa 书法, or Chinese calligraphy, may seem a bit daunting at first, a practice better left to a professional, an artist, or better yet some Chinese scholar?? Yet the benefits of Chinese calligraphy have been discussed for thousands of years. What it takes to perfect the art of calligraphy is personified by the family of Wang Xizhi王羲之, […]
Written in calligraphy (shufa): 淡飯粗茶有真味，明窗淨几是安居 (traditional Chinese) 淡饭粗茶有真味，明窗净几是安居 (simplified Chinese) Dàn fàn cūchá yǒu zhēn wèi, míng chuāng jìng jī shì ānjū -Light meals simple tea has authentic taste -Clear bright windows, clean coffee table makes a peaceful home During the holiday season as the presents pile up under the tree (if we’re lucky) and the […]
Chinese calligraphy fonts have evolved from pictographs to modern day Chinese symbols. A classic example of the various scripts in Chinese writing comes from the characters for fish and bird: Background Photo credit Ancient Chinese characters were developed after a scholar Cangjie, supposedly from prehistoric times, noticed that claw prints left by birds and animals could be […]
Photo credit Telegraph uk As part of their Lunar new year celebration, 14 year old male sea lion “Leo” is training in Chinese calligraphy. Above he’s painting the “酉” in “酉雞”(酉鸡), which represents “Rooster” in the Chinese zodiac. Leo can be seen at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, Japan. Lunar new year is Jan 28, […]