书法 (calligraphy) literally means 'the method of writing.' It is considered one of the highest forms of art in Chinese culture.
history
The traditional character 書 shows a hand (聿) holding a brush to write on a surface, capturing the essence of its meaning.
Components
ideograph
书shū
book; document
Single self-component. Simplified from traditional 書 (a hand holding a brush over a vessel) in the 1956 reform; the modern 4-stroke shape is a stylised cursive abstraction preserving only the brush-stroke silhouette. Indexed under Kangxi #2 丨 (line) by stroke pattern — the vertical down-stroke through the centre.
Filed under radical 丨 (shù, #2) by convention. 丨 is not a separate component in 书, so no strokes are highlighted.
