Language stories

One character: 荣

My name is 荣荣 (Róngróng). The character 荣 means flourishing, honour and prosperity. In its traditional form, 榮, you see the sign for fire (火) twice at the top and a tree (木) at the bottom.

A tree blooming in the light – that is how I try to see my work too.

Cover of the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy (17th century), a famous Chinese model book

Four tones, four words

In Mandarin the tone changes the meaning. Give it a try:

mā (妈) – mother
má (麻) – hemp
mǎ (马) – horse
mà (骂) – to scold

So say it right, or you might call your mother a horse!