Shudan

Shudan is a historical and cultural term that refers not to a specific tactic or move in Go, but to the game itself. Literally translating to “hand talk” or “conversation through hands,” it expresses the profound idea that Go is a form of silent dialogue. Two players sit across from one another, communicating not with words, but through the strategic placement of stones on the board.

The origin of the term traces back to classical Chinese literature. The phrase appears in the New Account of the Tales of the World (世說新語), a 5th-century text, where it is attributed to Zhi Dun, a Buddhist scholar from the Eastern Jin dynasty. In this context, weiqi (Go) was elevated to a refined practice of intellectual exchange, akin to philosophical discussion or poetry.

Japan later adopted the term, along with many other cultural elements from China, preserving the poetic nuance of the phrase. Though rarely used in everyday Go terminology today, shudan remains a revered expression of the game’s cultural depth.