Image Description: Four Mandarin hand-painted characters on top of each other. From the top they mean: self, gate, talent, and right.
AUTISM REDEFINED
自門才正
2026 // CALIGRAPHY // TAIPEI, TW
Autism in traditional Mandarin is called zì bì zhèng, which means Self Enclosed Disease. But I see Autism as a natural occurrence; a perception of life—not a disease. I was reminded of a conversation with the collective c.95d8 wherein they told me about changing the radical of the Mandarin character for disability, as a way of cripping it, allowing disabled folx to self-define based on the radical they feel represents them. Thinking of this approach, I took a closer look at zì bì zhèng, to reframe the way Autism could be written in Mandarin, removing the disease and making it an affirmative concept.
Image Description: At the top of the image, it says: Autism Traditional Mandarin. Below it are the three characters that together mean Autism in Mandarin: zì = Self, bì = Enclosed, zhèng = Disease.
Image Description: At the top the Mandarin characters for Autism, two in light gray and the middle bì in black. Below the image graphically shows how bì consists of the two characters: mén (the radical) = gater or opening, and cái = talent, ability, a capable individual.
Image Description: At the top the Mandarin characters for Autism, two in light gray and the last zhèng in black. Below the image graphically shows how zhèng consists of the two characters: nè (the radical) = sick, and zhèng = right, proper, correct.
Image Description: At the top is a text: Autism Reframed, when sickness leaves. Below it are the hand-painted Mandarin characters zì, mén, cái, and zhèng on top of each other, which look like the traditional Autism, but the sickness radical has been left out, on the left of them they are translated to: A Self, Opening to, Talent or Ability, In The Right Proper Way.
Image Description: Same as image above, now with text on the right side added: A Self, Entrance To, A Capable Individual, Correctly.
Image Description: Only the hand-painted Mandarin characters for the redefined way of writing Autism.