Chinese calligraphy is, perhaps, more than 6000 years old. In Chinese tradition, five elements: water, fire, wood, metal and earth are the origins of all things. However, the Greeks, from a different, more recent tradition, selected only four elemental properties. These are represented by four ideograms above, counterclockwise from 6 o’clock: Tû (earth), Huô (fire), Feng (wind), and Shuî (water). In content and form, these combine in a cycle to convey the central organizing ideas of the four programs transcribed in this section.

My thanks to Lowell McMullin for her gift of these four ideograms.

Please click on each symbol to link to that particular page.