A Millennium of Chinese Characters, Leading the Way in Elegance

The Universe in Characters, the Vastness in Ink - Inscription

Characters are like stars scattered across the sky, ink flows like endless rivers. Beneath the brush, the universe comes to life, and on paper, the sun and moon reflect the past and present. After thousands of years of historical accumulation, Chinese characters are not merely a form of writing but a cultural symbol, bearing witness to the millennia of Chinese civilization.

Legend holds that Cangjie, inspired by the shapes of the sun and moon and the footprints of birds and beasts, created characters, causing "heaven to rain grain and ghosts to weep at night." Chinese characters are widely regarded as embodying the imagination of calligraphy. The art of Chinese calligraphy flourished after the transformation of clerical script, particularly during the Wei and Jin dynasties, giving rise to masterpieces such as the Lantingji Xu (Orchid Pavilion Preface), celebrated as the greatest running script, and the Jizhi Wengao (Draft of a Requiem for My Nephew), known as the second greatest. The Jizhi Wengao is marked by numerous corrections and ends in a hurried, disordered scrawl, yet this very imperfection allows its emotions to shine through with raw sincerity. Its historical value is beyond question, earning it the title of the second greatest running script. Chinese characters transcend mere text; they are profound carriers of emotion and history. How many works of scholars and poets have witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties on Chinese soil, and how many have chronicled the ebbs and flows of Chinese civilization?

The Tao Te Ching opens with: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao." In Chinese culture, "Tao" (道) holds a pivotal place. In oracle bone script, "Tao" resembles a figure walking a path, reflecting an early stage of Chinese civilization where it carried a physical meaning. Over time, the character grew abstract, its meaning enriched to encompass the laws governing all things, and its form standardized into the modern "道." "Tao" embodies ancient Chinese thought, bearing their emotions and aspirations, serving as a mirror to the maturation of Chinese civilization from its primitive origins.

Laozi defined "Tao" as the origin of the universe. In Taoism, "Tao" is formless yet influences all things—an initial "nothingness" that generates "being," evolving into the myriad forms of existence, uniting "being" and "nothingness." Though Confucianism does not center on "Tao," it employs the concept to articulate natural laws and moral principles such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. With the arrival of Buddhism in China, it blended with Taoist and Confucian ideas, giving rise to concepts like the Middle Way and the Path to Enlightenment. Through the integration of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, "Tao" grew richer—not just a philosophical notion but a practical wisdom advocating harmony with nature, moral cultivation, and more. Its influence permeates daily life in China and beyond, and even today, the spiritual essence of "Tao" endures, nourishing the people of the East Asian cultural sphere.

Modern Chinese characters exist in various forms, yet users of different variants can readily understand one another. Remarkably, they can even infer meanings from Japanese—a wholly distinct language—owing to the ideographic nature of Chinese characters, a trait preserved since antiquity. The character "道" maintains a unified form across variants, a consistency that extends beyond shape to meaning. Whether it signifies "path," "method," "principle," or the philosophical "Tao," its essence remains constant across all variants. The use and understanding of "道" exhibit striking uniformity across regions, its unchanging nature over millennia underscoring the enduring vitality of Chinese culture—truly "millennia of Chinese characters, leading the way."

"The sea embraces all rivers, greatness comes from tolerance" captures the most enchanting quality of Chinese characters: their development thrives on inclusiveness. Buddhism brought terms like Bodhisattva and Buddha, merging with Chinese culture to form the Middle Way and the Path to Enlightenment. During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the entry of the Five Barbarians into China sparked cultural exchanges, propelling calligraphy to new heights. In modern times, Sino-Japanese vocabulary hastened China’s modernization, laying the groundwork for contemporary Chinese. Millennia of Chinese characters, profound and far-reaching, owe their enduring legacy to "embracing all rivers, great through tolerance; standing like a thousand-foot wall, strong without desire." Chinese characters not only testify to the historical rise and fall of Chinese culture but also illuminate the present and will guide us into the future. We should take pride in them, letting Chinese characters light the way forward, fulfilling the vision of "ten thousand years of Chinese characters, leading the way!"