<p>This is a 隸書 form of 景. According to the references cited in the <a href="http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/yitia/yda/yda01809.htm">教育部異體字字典</a>, it occurs on steles from the Tang dynasty.  </p>

<p>Sometimes these variations are done for ease of cutting, or because certain forms tend to break or wear away very easily; I don't know if this is the case here. Another form that also seems to appear a lot is with two 日, a 日 on top and a second one in 京 (= 日/小).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-23T02:09:38.680Z
2016-01-23T02:09:38.680Z
wpt
<p>I noticed that 景 is written on the Tang-era <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorian_Stele">Nestorian Stele</a> with the "boxes" switched, ie. the 口 is above and 日 is below. Would this be a standard way to write the character during that time, or is it an intentional variation?</p>

<p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Nestorian-Stele-Budge-plate-X.jpg"/></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-22T20:00:33.937Z
Because 景净 (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%99%AF%E5%87%80) was the author of the Stele, could it be the practice of avoiding the use in the author's name of any character  (避讳) that the calligrapher who wrote the article intentionally wrote it in the wrong way ?
Wang Zong'an
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-25T20:42:23.120Z
That's intriguing, I didn't know about that tradition
scry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-25T20:59:18.257Z
That's my guess. I checked the Emperors' names in Tang Dynasty: no one's name has the character "景". Thus, it is not for the purpose of avoiding using the Emperors' names. But it could be to avoid the use of for example even the calligrapher's own father's name. Just my guess. : )  I think the answer by wpt may carry more sense.
Wang Zong'an
<characters><classical-chinese>
Why is 景 written "wrong" on the Nestorian Stele?
# Why is 景 written "wrong" on the Nestorian Stele?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-22)

I noticed that 景 is written on the Tang-era [Nestorian Stele](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorian_Stele) with the "boxes" switched, ie. the 口 is above and 日 is below. Would this be a standard way to write the character during that time, or is it an intentional variation?

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Nestorian-Stele-Budge-plate-X.jpg)

**Tags:** characters, classical-chinese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Because 景净 (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%99%AF%E5%87%80) was the author of the Stele, could it be the practice of avoiding the use in the author's name of any character  (避讳) that the calligrapher who wrote the article intentionally wrote it in the wrong way ?  
> **username_0**: That's intriguing, I didn't know about that tradition  
> **username_1**: That's my guess. I checked the Emperors' names in Tang Dynasty: no one's name has the character "景". Thus, it is not for the purpose of avoiding using the Emperors' names. But it could be to avoid the use of for example even the calligrapher's own father's name. Just my guess. : )  I think the answer by username_2 may carry more sense.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-01-23. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

This is a 隸書 form of 景. According to the references cited in the [教育部異體字字典](http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/yitia/yda/yda01809.htm), it occurs on steles from the Tang dynasty.

Sometimes these variations are done for ease of cutting, or because certain forms tend to break or wear away very easily; I don't know if this is the case here. Another form that also seems to appear a lot is with two 日, a 日 on top and a second one in 京 (= 日/小).


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