落款

luòkuǎn
noun #37,001

Meanings

  1. 1 inscription on a painting / calligraphy / letter (with name, date, dedication)
  2. 2 to write such an inscription

Examples

HSK 3
Qǐng zài huà de yòu xiàjiǎo luòkuǎn.
Please add your signature in the bottom-right corner of the painting.
HSK 3
Zhè fēng xìn méiyǒu luòkuǎn, bù zhīdào shì shéi xiě de.
This letter has no signature, so we don't know who wrote it.
HSK 5
Zhè fú huà de luòkuǎn shì Qí Báishí.
The signature on this painting is Qi Baishi.

Tips

culture
落款 is the colophon block on a Chinese painting or piece of calligraphy: it usually includes the date, the artist's name, sometimes the recipient (上款 'top inscription'), and a red seal (印章). 落 here means 'to drop / set down', not 'to fall' - you 'set down' the inscription in the corner. Verifying the 落款 is the first thing experts do when authenticating Chinese art.
memory
Think of it as 'dropping' (落) a 'paragraph / item' (款) at the end of your work - like the artist's equivalent of a signature line.

Stroke Order

落 luò
款 kuǎn