王 (wong4)

Today’s character is 王 (wong4), meaning “monarch” or “ruler”, and it’s also a common Chinese family name. It’s a gender neutral character!

The three horizontal brush strokes symbolize heaven, mankind and earth, with the vertical brush stroke representing the ruler.

I love the beautiful philosophy of leadership in this character: as a ruler, you must have regard for all things in your domain, from the earth beneath your feet, to the people in your care and to spiritual matters.

Cats though, they have a different philosophy: everything and everyone they see belongs to them!

My husband’s last name is Wong, and the cat’s English name is Zeke. Our cat’s Chinese name is therefore 王為食 (wong4 wai4 sik6, being our family name plus his individual name) which if you pronounce in the English order of first name last name (為食王 / wai4 sik6 wong4) roughly translates to “Gluttonous King” or “King Greedy Guts” 🤣