person; personage; figure (esp. sb of importance) · character (in a play, novel etc) · (genre of traditional Chinese painting) figure painting

Only in novels do you find individuals who live out their whole life with unvarying character.

I always liked mysterious characters more.

Whether the characters in a book are real or completely imaginary, they can become your friends and companions.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, though remarkable in their achievements, somewhat lacked in literary grace; Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song, though commendable in their elegance, still fall slightly short in their brilliance. The proud conqueror, Genghis Khan, knew only how to bend the bow and shoot great eagles. All of them are now bygone, and if you want to count the truly remarkable figures, look to the present age.

When public figures, constrained by their social standing and the pressures of public opinion, face open insults, they can only tolerate and endure them, letting the spit on their face dry by itself.